Beauty and the Beast
by littlerichellemead
Summary: Dimitri Belikov is cursed to roam Europe as a werewolf until he finds his beauty. Rose Mazur is a beautiful and dangerous huntress seeking revenge. What will happen when their paths cross? Can the beauty save the beast? It is Beauty and the Beast with a twist. Rated M for language, violence and lemons.
1. To Istanbul

**AN: I have always wanted to write a Vampire Academy FF, but I couldn't come up with anything until I was watching Disney's The Beauty and The Beast and BAM! This story was born. ****Hopefully I am capable of keeping the story going, and it doesn't turn boring or predictable. Just give it a chance. And now a disclaimer: I own nothing all to their respective owners, and long live Richelle Mead.**

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Beauty and the Beast

_He who is hideous by heart will be hideous by aspect until he finds love and love finds him. The full moon will control him. The blood lust will drive him. He will be a beast unable to find rest until he is set free by his love._

The chains rattle against the pavestone as the prisoner moves almost dragging his feet. Several months trapped in different dungeons across Europe have not been kind to Dimitri Belikov. His brown shoulder length hair is loose, greasy and covered in dry blood from himself and his victims. His muscled and prominent figure is weighted down by the amount of chains on his shoulders, hands and feet. The silver spiked collar around his neck bites and stings his flesh with every step he takes toward the carriage that will transport him to his new dungeon.

_The prize of being the most persecuted man_, he thinks to himself with a small smirk on his lips as one of his Guardians pokes him to make him move faster. Dimitri growls deep in his throat, and the Guardians lined up on either side of him tense up bracing themselves for a fight. But Dimitri doesn't want to fight. Why would he? He's looking forward to his new jail in Istanbul. He is finally getting to where he wants to be. Istanbul is the whole reason he allowed himself to be captured in Moscow six months ago.

The carriage sways and the horses huff as the heavy six foot seven Russian climbs on followed by two Guardians. _Do they really think two Guardians can hold me?_ Dimitri chuckles inwardly. Of course he could easily kill all of his Guardians as soon as they step out of the walls of the Ozera's domain in Bulgaria and away from reinforcements. Then again, Dimitri has slaughtered entire villages single handedly. But once again, resisting would defeat the purpose of his captivity. All those nagging attempts at killing him would have been for nothing._Breathe,_ he coaches himself. _Istanbul awaits._

"Do not let him escape." Lord Ozera growls menacingly at the Guardians."Or else."

The Guardians nod immediately tensing up at the unmentioned threat in Lord Ozera's words. Honestly Dimitri is amazed at the fear Ozera inflicts upon his vassals. They should not fear a mere human when they are in the presence of a monster, a beast like Dimitri.

"Christian!" Lord Ozera barks calling on his only son a young man of eighteen years with dark hair and bright blue eyes. "I trust you can lead the Guardians without any mishap to Istanbul."

Christian steps away from his family after one last kiss to his mother's hand. "I will, Father." Christian bows to his father before climbing onto his white stallion.

"Send my regards and luck to Lord Mazur. We will all pray that he be the one to free us of the beast." Lord Ozera spits and glares at the carriage holding Dimitri before stepping back to join his family on the steps of his opulent manor.

Christian nods and gives a small wave and smile in the direction of his older sisters, Tasha and Avery, his mother and father. "Forward!" He commands his company as he digs his heels gently on the horses sides.

The carriage begins to move once Christian takes the lead followed by six Guardians, and bringing up the rear, behind the carriage, are eight more Guardians on horseback. The company travels at a steady and fast pace. Christian knows the horses will tire faster, but he must reach Lord Mazur's land before nightfall. Soon the werewolves will be coming out, and the last thing Christian wants is to give them a late dinner. Of course being a hunter himself and surrounded by Guardians should make him feel as safe as anyone can be during these dark times. They could take on the beasts, but they cannot take on a werewolf that cannot be killed. Christian briefly looks back at the carriage holding Dimitri as a frown forms in Christian's face. He's puzzled that no matter how many times he and other hunters sliced the beast with silver swords or set him on fire, Dimitri does not die. He heals incredibly and shockingly fast even for his nature. Looking up at the gloom sky and the sinking sun, Christian orders to pick up the pace even more.

By nightfall, they are all nervous. They still have a long way to go after all Sofia, Bulgaria is not around the corner from Istanbul. Christian and his company look everywhere as every once in a while they hear the shuffling of leaves but see nothing among the trees. Pushing the horses to their limits, they all pick up their pace. Christian, still on the lead, is the first to see the fast approaching figure up ahead.

"Prepare to engage in battle!" Christian shouts to the Guardians as they all slow down to wait for the coming threat.

The Guardians and Christian pull out their swords watching as the figure ahead moves closer still. This figure is wearing a silver armor and riding a black stallion. Christian does not know if this rider is friend of foe, female or male. In any case, he rather take on a human opponent than a werewolf. A werewolf is far more dangerous for obvious reasons as they are ferocious beasts, but the beasts also have the power to doom you to a cursed life with a single scratch or bite. After several tense moments, Christian relaxes and begins to lower his sword when he realizes the mysterious rider is a Guardian from Mazur as he wears the Mazur emblem, a golden snake, on the chest of his armor.

"I would not do that if I were you Christian," the Guardian says behind the silver helmet covering her features. Christian rolls his eyes at the new arrival and lowers his sword anyway.

"Still breaking orders and escaping are we Rose?" Christian smirks as he arches his eyebrows to his good old friend, Rosemarie Mazur. She is the daughter of Lord Ibrahim Mazur, and the best damn huntress Christian has ever seen of course she is also the only huntress.

"Not this time," Rose lifts up her helmet revealing a young woman in her eighteen years with brown eyes, olive skin and perfect full lips; lips that are turned upwards in a satisfied smirk of her own. "I have permission to lead the welcoming party. My Guardians have been trailing you for miles."

"And you have decided to grace us with your presence instead of remaining in the shadows?" Christian sighs feigning disgust. "Thank you."

"Only for you dear." Rose winks and lowers her helmet once again.

"Why all the protection?" Christian questions as he takes in Rose's full length silver armor.

Rose shrugs or at least tries to do so with all the heavy armory. "The condition of my father to allow me to join the quest of freeing the world of the beast." The last word comes out of her mouth in an angry growl aimed at the hated beasts.

The biggest reason behind Rose's decision to be a huntress despite the strong opposition from her father and the other lords, is revenge. Rose wants nothing more than to eliminate the werewolves once and for all as they took someone she loved. Rose glances at the carriage where she knows Dimitri is being held. He is the biggest threat as he seems to be the leader of all werewolves. The beasts respond to him; he leads them to the villages and slaughters children, women, and men alike. Rose, knowing she is the best at hunting werewolves, is confident she will be able to kill this monster. However, her father didn't seem to think it. He resisted her request to join the quest of killing Dimitri Belikov for so long, but in the end he conceded with the condition that she arms herself with much protection and at least twenty Guardians.

"I see," Christian laughing lightly pulls Rose out of her thoughts. "Rosemarie Mazur is losing her bravado."

"Careful Chrisitan Ozera. I might just cut your tongue for the disrespect. I am a lady." She teases shoving Christian lightly.

"Lady," he snorts. "You are far from a lady. If I remember well the last time I saw you, you had blood under your nails and your dress was torn. I doubt it was from fooling around with your fiance."

"Hold your tongue," Rose rolls her eyes but the motion is hidden behind her helmet. "Do not speak of my private matters with Lord Ivashkov. Must I remind you that night I saved Budapest from being wiped out." That thought brings a concern to Rose's mind. Putting the teasing aside, she turns her head to Christian. "Have you had many attacks?"

Christian's face looses his amused glint. "We had several when we got him," he jerks his head in the direction of Dimitri. "They seemed desperate to free their leader. After a while, they gave up. How about you?"

Rose shakes her head. "Oddly enough, none."

"None?" Christian repeats wondering if he heard Rose correctly through the helmet.

"None." Rose's lips set in a hard line. "For six months we have enjoyed a rather stressful peace."

Christian and Rose turn silent both pondering why the wolves have not attacked the Mazur household in six months. Even though Dimitri has been captured, the werewolves still attack the villages. Granted, the attacks are further apart since the beasts no longer have their leader, but it is odd that no attack has befallen upon the Mazurs. Rose doesn't know if that should be a relief or not. She wonders if the wolves are lying in wait for the right moment to attack especially now that Belikov is coming to Istanbul. The whole situation unsettles not only Rose, but everyone living in her father's land, and now Christian who had no idea of the situation. Communication among the lords is not frequent as no one wants to venture to deliver messages. Even during the crusades, the soldiers made sure to always be near a village they could take protection in.

"How many-"

The rest of Rose's sentence is cut off by a scream. The horses stop, the Guardians tense up, and Rose pulls out her sword soon followed by the others. Silence that settles around them is deafening. Everything stills after that scream. Glancing up at the sky, Rose see's the full moon high up. _We could not have picked a better night for this_, Rose grimaces. Inside the carriage, Dimitri is struggling to keep himself under control. This is not going according to his plan. He is supposed to reach his destination without trouble but this... Several howls rip the silence apart making the horses whine and bounce anxiously and fearfully.

"Brace yourselves," Rose mutters as the sound of furious pounding paws against the ground draw closer to them. "We have company."

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**Yet another AN: I promise I will try not to bombard you with AN, but I do want to ask your opinion of the first chapter. If I don't receive much feedback, I probably won't continue as I do have several stories unfinished. Let me know what you think!**


	2. Attacked

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows. I shall continue! By the way, if anyone is like knowledgeable of the Middle Ages, could you PM or review letting me know if you can answer a couple of questions? I just want to make this story believable. Thanks! **

**One last thing, to guest: **Kate **what did you mean with warning when changing point of views? I'm just confused. **

**All right, I'll shut up now but remember to review if you want another update today!**

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Rose knows that if she and the Guardians push the horses to their limits, they can reach Istanbul where reinforcements await. However, Rose is never one to run. She has at least forty Guardians at her disposal: twenty from Ozera and twenty her father insisted accompanied her. Of course she is not so sure the twenty remain as the scream reveals her Guardians have been attacked in the darkness of the forest. The werewolves are getting nearer and nearer and by the sound of their paws against the ground, there are at least fifty. Rose must make a decision and quickly.

Before she makes her decision, the werewolves arrive. They howl as they surround Rose and the Guardians. The beasts seem to wait for some sort of command, but after a while, they realize there won't be one, so the first werewolf goes after Rose. It jumps from her right aiming to knock her off the horse and tear her armor off. However, Rose, in huntress mode, expects the attack. The beasts smell her hormones and think she is only a weak human female. Oh how wrong they always are. Rose maneuvers Oscar, her horse, so she faces the werewolf as it leaps from the darkness. Without hesitation, she swings her sword and cuts the werewolf's head off before it has a chance to even touch a hair on her. The beast falls headless and limp at Oscar's feet.

Rose smiles as she glares at the darkness. There is a momentary silence then all hell breaks loose as the werewolves, outraged at the death of their brother, launch themselves at the humans. Screams and battle cries fill the night as the Ozera Guardians soon joined by half of the Mazur Guardians fight off the beasts. It seems that for every fallen werewolf five more come out with their mouths covered in drool and sharp claws ready to rip through the flesh. The beasts jump from above the trees landing gracefully in front of the Guardians or sneaking upon them tearing off the legs or arms. The beasts' massive hairy bodies seem to seep out from the darkness.

"Christian!" Rose shrieks out of nowhere.

He turns his head everywhere searching for his friend. The shriek sounded desperate and pleading. Panic settles in the pit of his stomach when he doesn't locate her silver armor among the fighting Guardians because despite her five seven stature, Rose can be spotted miles away when she fights. She is a force to be reckoned with, so Christian can't grasp the possibility that the wolves have gotten her. Christian quickly finishes off his werewolf by striking through its skull with his sword. He moves through the pile of bodies and kills any beast that gets in his way as he searches for Rose.

"Rose!" Christian grunts as a werewolf jumps on his back and digs its claws into Christian's armor.

The hunter wiggles under the beast trying to maneuver his sword and strike the monster, but the beast is pressing harder on his back despite the silver burning its skin. But the purpose is clear, the beast wants to crack Christian's armor to dig into his soft flesh. Impatient to sink its teeth into Christian's flesh, the wolf lowers his drooling mouth on Christian's neck. Just when Christian can feel the beast's sharp teeth inches away from his neck, a silver arrow goes through the beast's head killing it instantly. Rolling over and getting to his feet, Christian faces his savior and nods his thanks.

"Where is Rose?" Christian asks as Eddie gets closer reloading his crossbow.

"She is protecting the prisoner," Eddie points to the carriage surrounded by beasts. "They are trying to set him free."

Christian picks up his sword and, along with Eddie, rushes to Rose's side. They soon join her as she fights off the beasts trying to break into the carriage and free Dimitri. Inside, the two near Guardians shift uncomfortably as they grip their swords tightly and sweat breaks out across their foreheads. The carriage sways violently as the beasts keep attempting to break in making Dimitri more furious by the second. Did he not give specific orders? Must they go through this every time he is transported from village to village?

"Rose!" Christian shouts desperately making Dimitri wonder what is going on. "Eddie! Help her!"

Dimitri can't take it anymore. He must do something before his beasts foil his plans, before something happens to her. In one single movement, Dimitri breaks the chains around his hands then his feet. The Guardians become more nervous and shout warnings at him, but Dimitri is not listening. The beast in him is taking over as hair begins to sprout covering his skin. His bones crack and elongate as they shift to resemble those of a wolf. The collar around Dimitri's neck pierces him and makes him hiss as the silver stings, but he's used to all the pain. He is used to the pain of his bones shifting so violently that they pierce his skin. While Dimitri transforms, his two Guardians stare open mouthed as the man changes from a tall Russian to a massive dark brown werewolf.

Once his transformation is complete, Dimitri shakes off the collar, raises his head, as much as he can in the small compartment, and stares at his Guardians with a pair of human eyes. The sound of the Guardians' hearts drives Dimitri wild making him howl before ripping them apart. They didn't even defend themselves, not that they could, when Dimitri with a single swipe of his paw tore open their throats and ripped apart their limbs. Guardians and hunters outside still battle the beasts, who upon hearing the howling of their leader have begun to fight more fervently.

Covered in blood, Dimitri tears open the carriage and jumps out into the night. Fighting ceases immediately as everyone takes in the sight of the ancient, undefeated, and powerful beast. Dimitri takes a moment to stretch his stiff muscles and assess the situation. As he takes in the view around him, he can feel everyone breathing rapidly and nervously, but he ignores them as he sees bodies sprawled everywhere. Some fifteen Guardians lay mangled beyond recognition and saving while others, Dimitri can smell, are beginning to turn.

"We have to take him down," Dimitri hears the only female whisper.

"Do not risk your life Rosemarie," Christian whispers angrily back.

"You forget I am the best damn huntress," Rose snaps back as she sets her foot forward slowly and carefully as to not alert the beast of her intentions, but the beast knows.

Dimitri turns his massive head around and bares his teeth at the female who suddenly becomes frozen in place with her sword high in the air ready to strike the beast. Turning his body completely to face Rose, Dimitri stalks menacingly towards her as saliva forms in his mouth. The sound of her healthy and young heart is driving Dimitri insane; he wants to rip it out of her chest and drink her warm blood. He can feel it. He can feel her blood running down his throat. He can feel her soft flesh falling apart under his powerful claws. If werewolves could grin, Dimitri would be grinning at the huntress who is clearly afraid as her eyes are wide and she licks her lips nervously. Her hands tighten around the tilt of the sword and her muscles ache in anticipation. Rose is afraid all right, but she is not about to show it. She is not about to let it dominate her. She jumps a little startled when Dimitri throws his head back and howls once more. This howl is longer and more forceful as if he is giving a command. The werewolves retreat slowly into the darkness, and the Guardians are relieved to cease the fighting and focus on the big threat in front of them.

Dimitri once again resumes his stalking of his prey. His brown eyes never leave hers as he stops millimeters away from her. His snout is on her forehead breathing in her scent heavily. His mouth parts open showing teeth, and Rose gulps.

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**Sorry the chapters are short for the moment as they are sort of setting the scene. They'll get longer as we move forward. Tell me is this still interesting? **


	3. Burn

**AN: Sorry guys. I did mean to update twice last time, but fanfic has been acting weird and wouldn't let me upload. Thanks a bunch for the reviews, favs, and follows! To **teddywashere**: OMG your review is hilarious! Let's find out if Dimitri makes Rose his female wolf LOL. As always, review! **

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Rose and Dimitri are locked in each other's gazes as they wait for one or the other to strike first. _Move. _Rose commands herself. _Move! _But her muscles are not responding. For some unfathomable reason, the deadly Rosemarie Mazur is frozen and unsure of what to do. This is unlikely behavior of her. Of course she has felt fear plenty of times in fact she feels it every time she faces a werewolf. As her mentor, Stan, usually says she'd be a fool not to feel fear of death or become one of the damned. If only Stan were here, he'd scream at her to not hesitate and kill the beast. But if tales are true, Dimitri is incapable of being killed. In that case, nothing will stop him from drinking her blood and tearing her flesh.

However, Dimitri's domineering blood lust is for the second time in years forgotten as he enjoys watching Rose clearly struggle to keep her fear in. Her face is void of emotion as she faces the beast but her fluttering heart gives her feelings away. That young and pure heart is pounding against her chest, and he can smell the small bead of sweat running between the valley of her breasts. Licking his lips with a different kind of lust he thought he'd never feel again, Dimitri turns away and lowers his head as the transformation back to human begins.

Rose winces and grimaces at the sound of bones snapping as Dimitri shifts and lets out small groans and growls of pain and annoyance. Soon, the werewolf is gone replaced by a man, a muscular, tanned and very naked man on his fours. Even though the situation is too disturbing and serious, Rose can't help but appreciate the beauty of the man. The sight of his chiseled arms and sweaty skin makes Rose shiver. Disgusted with herself, Rose stalks towards the man ready to cut off his head. However, he surprises her by rising swiftly to his feet and showing the rest of his body.

_Do not look down, _Rose chants to herself as she steps back, and Dimitri steps forward. _Do not look down. _Keeping her eyes trained on his face, Rose keeps stepping backwards as the man, with a grin on his face, keeps stepping forward. His long legs make it easy to catch up to her, so their bodies brush against each other the silver armor stinging against his skin.

"How will you chain me if you keep stepping away?" Dimitri smirks and makes Rose jump a little at the sound of his faint yet very distinct Russian accent. "Well?" He extends his hands out to Rose.

"Eddie," Rose whispers keeping her eyes on his. "Chains."

Eddie and the other Guardians step out of their shock at seeing the ancient werewolf. Every Guardian and Christian lower their heads slightly as they are ashamed no one managed to react and help Rose. Regaining the use of his muscles, Eddie steps forward carrying shackles for Dimitri's hands and feet plus a brand new collar. When Eddie steps close to chain him, Dimitri glowers and growls at the young Guardian, who steps back with a frown on his face.

"Her," Dimitri nods his head towards Rose. "I want her to chain me. No one else will touch me but her."

"You are in no position to make demands," Christian snaps as he moves forward taking the chains from Eddie.

"I will do it," Rose whispers then clears her throat. "Burn the bodies. All of them. Stay alert in case the others return."

"They will not," Dimitri says with a satisfied smirk on his lips as the Guardians scatter to do as Rose commands.

She doesn't say anything as she chains Dimitri's hands all they while making sure to not touch him. When she is about to kneel and chain his feet, she grimaces as momentarily she forgot he is naked. Now she has the image of Dimitri's much endowed manhood engraved in her head. With a sigh and a slight blush, Rose calls a Guardian forward and orders he bring a cape or something to cover the prisoner.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Dimitri asks amused.

"You make me feel disgusted," Rose replies as the Guardian wraps a rag around Dimitri. Of course Rose is lying. She wouldn't be human if she didn't feel desires or any other emotion unlike the beasts. However, she will never admit to finding the werewolf attractive because that's just… disgusting and wrong.

"You wound me," he chuckles then turns serious lowering his gaze at Rose, who is chaining his feet. "Are you not wondering why I am still here?"

Why, yes she is. Ever since the wolves retreated, a nagging thought came to Rose's mind: Why did Dimitri not go with his beasts? He should and could have. Yet he stayed. But Rose has more important matters at the moment like making sure Dimitri is secured once again, all the bodies are disposed of, and the remaining Guardians arrive safely at Istanbul. Ignoring Dimitri's questions and attempt at conversation, Rose finishes chaining up his feet and rises to her feet with the collar in her hands. She stares up at the man unable to reach his neck.

"On your knees," she commands sternly.

"I believe I like where this is going," Dimitri replies with a grin. "But you must say please."

Rose narrows her eyes as the fury burns inside her. Her ego is wounded. She froze in front of her Guardians and the Ozeras; she froze in front of Christian. Her reputation of badass and fearless huntress has been endangered because of him, so Rose is not in the mood for Dimitri's bull shit. In one swift movement, she hits the back of Dimitri's knees with the tilt of the sword. With his shackled feet and hands, Dimitri cannot stop the fall, so he ends up kneeling while Rose looks down at him with a satisfied and gleeful smirk on her pretty face. Much to Rose's surprise though, the werewolf merely laughs as she places the collar around his neck.

"Milady, you have no manners," he comments as Rose tightens the collar around his neck making the spikes draw blood, but he doesn't even wince enjoying the situation entirely too much. "That is how I like my women: wild and unmannered."

Rose scowls annoyed. "Theo," a Guardian steps forward with a torch in hand. "Keep him under surveillance."

Theo nods and pulls Dimitri up to his feet and leads him to where the destroyed carriage is. Sitting down on a rock nearby, Dimitri watches Rose. She moves from body to body setting them on fire not caring whether the person is alive or not. Frowning, Dimitri wonders if he will find his freedom here. He tries to recall his curse and the warnings the witch gave him. She failed to mention the ruthless and cold huntress before him. Perhaps the witch played him yet again or perhaps –

"Rose!" Christian steps out from the darkness with two Guardians carrying a bloodied man from deep within the forest. "We found Stan."

Rose hands the torch to Christian and rushes to her mentor's side. The Guardians set Stan down, and Rose kneels and quickly clasps Stan's hand in hers.

"Stan," Rose gives him a weak smile. "Hold on; you will be fine. We will get moving soon, and we will find you a healer."

Stan shakes his head weakly. "Rosemarie," he grins despite the pain on his bitten and mangled hip. This time Rose doesn't chastise him for calling her by her full name. "Let us not fool each other. I am a dead man. I have been bitten."

"No," Rose shakes her head adamantly as she fights back the tears. She will not cry. Not even if her heart is breaking because the man dying before her eyes has taught her to be strong despite the adversities. But it hurts terribly to watch the man who trained her to be the damn best and only huntress in Europe. Stan is the man who convinced her father to allow her to train to be a huntress five years ago. He was the first to believe in her potential to be deadly. He is the man who brought more deaths to the werewolves than Rose ever could. How can a legend be easily brought down? No. Stan Alto will recover; he is larger than life, or so Rose tells herself. "It is only a scratch."

Her mentor laughs then stops abruptly. "Stubborn as always," a sad smile breaks across his lips as he kisses Rose's hand leaving a dark mark of blood on her skin. "I will remember you like this Rosemarie. You have truly been the daughter I never had."

She bites her lower lip to keep the sobs inside. "It has been a pleasure to learn from you, Hunter Stan." She leans forward and kisses his bloodstained forehead.

"The pleasure has been mine, Huntress Rosemarie. Send my regards to your father, and the best of luck to you. I know you can set us free." With one last kiss to her hand, Rose removes her hand and stands up.

Christian, who is also feeling the stabbing pain of losing a great man, hands back the torch to Rose. She takes it and sets fire to her mentor. Stan doesn't make a sound as the flames engulf him. Even in his death bed, Stan is a badass. That thought forms a chuckle and a sob in the back of Rose's throat, so that what comes out of her mouth is a weird pained sound. Christian grabs Rose's hand unsure if she will take the comfort as she has always preferred to suffer alone. She surprises him by holding his hand tightly. Together, they watch as Stan Alto burns and turns into nothing more than ashes.

"Another loved one I must watch burn," Rose says through her teeth squeezing Christian's hand even tighter. "Another loved one I have lost because of _him_."

Both Christian and Rose turn to briefly glare at Dimitri, who is watching the entire scene with an emotionless mask seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

"You will put an end to this," Christian reassures her as they turn back to Stan's ashes.

"I do hope so," she mutters darkly as she finally lets go of Christian's hand. "Have all the bodies been burned?" Christian nods. "Then let us move. We cannot stay here all night."

The remaining horses are mounted by Rose, Christian, Eddie and Wes while Dimitri is forced to walk between them. Another seven or so Guardians on foot follow closely behind remaining alert if another attack happens. But just like Dimitri said, the wolves don't return. However it is a relief when they reach Istanbul, and the walls of the Mazur household come into view by the time the sun begins to rise in the horizon. To everyone's relief, death will soon be brought upon the beast.

When Rose and her company reach the pure silver gates to the Mazur household, she turns Oscar to face her company.

"Remember your orders," Rose reminds the Guardians and Christian. Once they nod in understanding, Rose turns to face ahead again.

"Who goes there?" One of the Guardians posted at the entrance asks.

"Lady Rosemarie Hathaway Mazur," Rose introduces herself rolling her eyes. _Foolish pleasantries_, she thinks to herself. _As if they do not already know who I am or who we have brought. _

And what she hates the most is having to address herself as 'lady.' As she is the only daughter of Ibrahim Mazur, and he doesn't have a wife, the title has gone to Rose who would much rather introduce herself as huntress. But the lords, despite allowing her to be part of the hunters, do not recognize her officially as one unlike Christian.

"Hunter Christian Ozera," Christian follows to introduce himself. "My Guardians and prisoner Dimitri Belikov."

The Guardian's eyes bug out of his sockets as he takes in the sight of the chained Russian. Shaking his head immediately, he gives the order for the gates to be opened and allow the crowd in. Once inside, the gates are sealed shut, but neither Rose nor Christian or the Guardians relax. Their duty will not be done until Dimitri is gone and done with. The vassals of Ibrahim Mazur stop their duties to stare at the shackled beast. Some of the vassals run wanting to get out of the way of the beast in case he escapes while others throw pebbles at the beast and taunt him.

"What a warm welcome," Dimitri murmurs as he tries to keep himself from breaking his chains again and ripping them all apart as the rocks hit his back, arms, and face.

"Only the best for you," Christian sneers.

More pebbles and insults later, Dimitri and his jailers stand at the front gates of the Mazur castle. The doors open and out walks Lord Mazur flanked by Pavel, Mazur's personal Guardian. Abe Mazur is a man in his early forties with dark hair and beard, wears much gold, and a scarf with a golden snake stitched on it. Abe doesn't acknowledge Dimitri as his eyes are solely on his only and beloved daughter. He inspects her for injuries, and when he is satisfied his dear daughter is safe, he grins finally able to breathe again. The Guardians and hunters are not the only ones that had a rough night. Abe didn't sleep as he kept glancing out the window. Upon hearing the howls nearby, Abe almost went out to find his daughter, but Pavel practically locked him up. Now, he is glad Pavel stopped him because his dear daughter looks extremely proud of herself.

Rose grins satisfied as she climbs off the horse. Once she is by her father's side, he throws his arm around her and beams proudly at her. To Rose, public displays of affection were embarrassing but since the tragedy of five years ago, she has learned to appreciate those who are alive and the affection they give.

"What did I tell you, Old Man?" Rose smirks as the jerks her chin in the direction of the prisoner. "I told you I would successfully bring him."

Abe squeezes her shoulder. "That you did. Congratulations. Though I can tell success came with fatalities." He is not trying to criticize his daughter; Abe is merely stating the fact that out of the twenty Guardians he sent along with her, only four returned and who knows how many more Ozera lost.

"We were attacked," Rose nods choosing her words carefully. She wants to keep the part where Dimitri ordered the wolves away, and he decided to stay. The Guardians and Christian know not to mention that part either, if they are asked. "Stan… he's gone."

"I am sorry Rose," Abe's smile falters as he watches his daughter's face fall. "He will be missed. A banquet will be served tonight to pay tribute to him and those who gave their lives for your safe return and of course, Christian's." The smile returns to Abe's lips as he regards the young hunter. "It is an honor to have you in my household."

"The honor is mine, Lord Mazur," Christian climbs off the horse and bows his head at Abe. "My father, Lord Ozera, sends his regards and best wishes."

"Thank you. I, too, send my regards to your father. I do hope you will stay with us for a while."

"I would be honored," Christian bows once again and steps aside motioning for Eddie and Wes to bring Dimitri forward. "I must stay as well to see that the beast is done with."

Abe finally seems to notice Dimitri. "This is the famous Dimitri Belikov," he steps forward and regards the werewolf with an unreadable expression. "I hear your death cures all of those who are infected."

"Perhaps," Dimitri replies with a slight shrug.

"I suppose there is only one way to find out: by killing you." Abe practically growls taking Dimitri by surprise. Sure, people have wanted him dead for a long time, but they have never shown as much… passion like Mazur.

"Passion seems to run in your family," Dimitri voices his thoughts out loud. "Your daughter has made very clear what she wants to do to me." He grins as he recalls Rose's rant the remaining of the trip of how she will cut him in several tiny pieces then set fire to his putrid body. "Of course they are not the same things I want to do to her." He winks at Rose whose jaw twitches in outrage.

"How dare you speak of my daughter in that manner?" Abe suddenly turns red with rage and punches the werewolf's nose. Dimitri chuckles quietly as blood falls down his face before the wound heals itself. "She will be respected. Get him out of my sight!" Mazur roars at the Guardians.

"Relax Old Man," Rose says though she would have liked to have punched the werewolf herself. "He likes to talk."

"He will be dead by this time tomorrow." Abe glares after Dimitri as he is taken down to the dungeons. "In the meantime, you all rest. Tonight, we feast and toast in memory of Stan and those who died last night."

Rose and Christian nod and leave to their chambers. Before they part ways, Rose asks Christian to meet her in the garden in an hour. Once in her chambers, Rose bathes and trades her huntress attire for a red dress that clings to her skin beautifully without making her look like a whore. She lets her long dark brown hair down and heads out to meet Christian. By the time she reaches the gardens, Christian is waiting.

"You look very handsome," Rose grins as she sits next to him on the metal bench by the rose bushes which she was named after. Of course she used to hate the damn flowers and would stomp them as a child. Now, she tends to them in place of her mother.

"You look sad," Christian replies as he watches Rose touch the roses lovingly and delicately. Her face is soft for the first time in, well, ever. But just as quickly as the look came to her, it disappeared.

"He is hiding something," Rose doesn't acknowledge Christian's comment as she gets to the point of their meeting.

Since the wolves retreated and Dimitri asked if she was wondering why he had not fled, the doubt nagged Rose to no end. Why would he stay? At Istanbul, he is facing death. He had the chance to leave and keep slaughtering people, yet he commanded his wolves away and stayed. What is more, he allowed himself to be chained. What does Dimitri want in Istanbul? Rose has a vague idea, but she needs confirmation or rather denial.

"I agree," Christian nods interrupting Rose's deep thoughts.

He, like Rose, agreed to keep part of last night's attack a secret. If Abe or any of the lords find out about Dimitri's odd behavior, they will all go into full panic mode wondering what he is up to. They will finally listen to Lady Tatiana Ivashkov's crazy ideas to form an underground city where everyone can hide from the beasts. It is cowardly and extreme, so he supported Rose fully when she commanded the Guardians to keep the exact details to themselves. Their oaths to protect their lords bound them to keep the secret, so Rose trusts them.

"We must find out what he wants," Rose bites her lip and turns to look at Christian. "We have to talk to him."

Orders are to leave the prisoner be once he reaches his destination for security purposes. Besides the only interaction Dimitri can have is with the sword. Christian sighs and nods. After years of friendship with Rose, he knows better than to try to talk her out of something. She's more stubborn than anyone he's ever met perhaps more than Lissa, who must simply get her way when it comes to banquets' decorations. He rises to his feet and follows Rose back inside.

"How will we talk to him?" Christian asks as both head down to the dungeons being careful as to not acquire too much attention but of course Rose's dress is like a beacon. Before he can comment on that, Rose lets out a very unlady like snort.

"You forget who I am." She grins.

"Of course," Christian rolls his eyes but as always is impressed by how easily Rose can bend the rules without giving much regard to her reputation. Then again, her reputation is exactly why she is one of the most coveted ladies in Istanbul and, well, anywhere. Not that Christian covets her; his heart belongs to Lady Lissa Dragomir.

"Eddie," Rose calls out snapping Christian out of his lovesick thoughts. "Are you on duty alone?"

"No. The others are posted at the entrance."

"But you are alone outside his cell?"

"Yes," Eddie frowns. "What are you up to Rose?"

"We need to speak to him," Rose says with urgency though still giving him a small smile as he also seems to know her well.

Eddie sighs. "I cannot convince you not to do this, can I?"

"No," she grins and steps forward knowing Eddie will give her what she wants. "Besides could you deny this face?" Rose pouts her lips and bats her long eyelashes at Eddie, who visibly flustered gulps.

Pulling out his keys, Eddie glances around to make sure no one is coming. Before opening the prisoner's cell, he hands Christian a crossbow loaded with three silver arrows. Eddie then follows to open the door and let Christian into Dimitri's cell followed by Rose all the while wondering what business the two of them have with the beast.


	4. For You

**AN: Thanks for the reviews and the love for the story! Sorry to disappoint you because Dimitri did not have his way with Rose (or made her his female wolf) yet. *Ooh! Foreshadowing? ;)* Reviews are always welcome, and they surely brighten my day! **

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Dimitri is thrown into his new 'comfy' jail after the confrontation with Mazur. Well, it wasn't much of a confrontation if the old man only gave Dimitri a little slap on the face, and Dimitri couldn't retaliate, but it had been fun watching Rose's jaw twitch and the old man turn red. The werewolf chuckles as he wipes the dry blood of his face with his sleeve. If Dimitri wasn't trying to get his freedom, he would have ripped the old man apart in a matter of seconds. Sitting down in a corner, the Russian man rests his head against the stone wall and takes a deep breath. He is tired. Two hundred and five years of being a beast plus twenty four years of human life have consumed his energy. But this is the end of his journey, or so he hopes. Despite the attack of last night, everything turned out like he essentially wanted. Granted he could and wanted to go with the wolves to run free instead of being cooped up in a dingy and small prison. This is where he needs to be though; Istanbul is where it will all end.

It does anger Dimitri to think that his freedom could have come five years ago if the damned rogue werewolves had not meddled. With a sigh, Dimitri is taken back to five years ago in this same place, Istanbul. More than five hundred years had passed since the witch gave him some sort of guidance to breaking his curse: find a beauty to love him and set him free. But Dimitri was losing hope as he could not find his salvation anywhere no matter how far he searched. He knew he would forever be damned to be a beast consumed fully by blood lust. It was winter when he was wandering alone as he often did when the burden of leading so many damned souls like him got to be too much. His feet, unaware to him, took him to Istanbul where he found himself contemplating an attack on the glorious household before him. Even today, Dimitri does not bother to know where each of the thirteen lords live, so he did not care in the past either.

Hidden among the trees, he watched as the vassals entered through the massive pure silver gates after a long day of work out in the fields. The lord who lived behind those gates was clearly very wealthy. The only thing that signaled which lord lived there was the emblem of a snake stamped on the doors. The Guardians searched every vassal before letting them in. Everyone watched the sky worriedly as the sun was fast sinking, and the beasts would come out. Of course there are rare cases when the werewolves attack during the day, but they always prefer the night as that is when they are the strongest pulling their strength from the moon.

So Dimitri, perched high up on the tree, contemplated an attack on this household. The silver would do nothing to him as neither could the Guardians. He could very easily kill every single person or turn a couple of them before the sun even rose. However something stopped him that afternoon so he turned away from the household before the moon appeared in the sky forcing him to go back and attack all those innocent people. In the end, he decided to head back to Romania and meet up with Mason to see the witch again. Suddenly, he heard the most glorious voice. She was singing quietly, but his super human hearing picked up on it as the wind carried the sweet melody.

Thoroughly enchanted by the Turkish melody, Dimitri flew from tree to tree following the sound of her singing and the crunching of the snow under her feet. Soon, he saw her ahead. Her red dress and veil of dark brown hair sprawled on the white covered ground contrasted beautifully as she laid down now humming and smiling to herself. She soon began to move her arms up and down and her legs sideways forming a snow angel. Dimitri, who was leaning forward to catch a better sight of her, did not pay much mind to the breaking branch. He leaned forward even more making strands of his hair fall from the ponytail at his nape. He wanted to satiate his curiosity of this dark haired beauty as he wondered what color her eyes were, the branch under him broke. Dimitri fell on the ground with a loud thud that momentarily knocked the air out of him. He quickly got to his feet and searched for the girl, but she was gone. Upon hearing the stranger hit the ground, the girl must have ran to hide behind the safety of the walls. Disappointment washed over Dimitri as he turned to leave.

"Are you all right?" A sweet and innocent voice called out to him.

As he turned, he saw her peeking from behind a thick tree her big, dark brown eyes mesmerized him as did her exotic skin the color of an almond. She was around thirteen perhaps twelve years old, and Dimitri wanted nothing more than to rip her apart. He could see the vein in her neck pulsing with life and the blood he so desired. He wondered what her smooth and soft skin would feel like as he tore it apart. And then the dress didn't help her. She looked as if she was wearing her blood, and it looked so delicious that Dimitri wanted to lick her skin. Involuntarily, Dimitri took several steps toward her as he felt his fingers elongate and his hands sprout hair.

"Are you all right?" The girl repeated and her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and shoved the beast deep inside Dimitri. "You look a bit green." Her eyebrows met in the middle as she regarded the stranger with concern. "Do you need me to get one of the Guardians?"

"No!" Dimitri shouted stopping the girl in her tracks. "I am all right. Do not worry child." His lips twitched as a smile came to his lips. _What an innocent and naïve child. Has she not been told to not speak to strangers?_ "You are much to kind, Red." He said instead of his earlier thoughts.

"Yeah, I know." She smiled widely making her face light up brighter than the sun. Her smile slipped away as she frowned at the name. "Red?"

The nickname had seemed fitting for Dimitri then given that she wore a red, beautiful, long sleeved dress made of silk. Her clothes signaled Dimitri that the girl belonged to a Lord or perhaps a Guardian.

"I do not know your name." He said stopping his musings of the girl's family tree. He paused expecting the child to fill in the blank. When she didn't, he continued. "Will you not tell me, milady?"

The girl bit her lower lip and studied Dimitri before shaking her head. "I do not tell strangers my name. Red is fine."

Her response amused him greatly, so he threw his head back and laughed. For the first time in ages his amusement was not malicious or gleeful; it was genuine. The wind picked up then making the snow dance through her hair. He wondered what her hair felt like, but that thought was quickly put aside when he saw the girl shiver as she wore no coat over her flimsy dress. Shaking his head, he took off his duster and approached the girl. She watched with wide eyes as he covered her frail figure with his enormous duster. He laughed once again when he saw how puny and delicate she looked covered in his duster.

"Thank you," Red cuts off his laughter. No one had ever said thank you to him. Who would?

"The gates are closing! Last call!" The Guardians announced before Dimitri could say anything.

Red shot him a panicked look and gave back the duster to Dimitri without another word or glance in his direction as she ran home. Before putting the duster back on, he smelled it and found her scent had already made a home inside it. Since then, Dimitri could not part with the girl. His stolen moments with Red were what he looked forward to the most. That was until his curse caught up with him and things ended tragically with the little girl that had captivated him in every way. Her smiles, her laughter, her voice, her eyes, her hair and even her heart beat made Dimitri feel less like a monster.

Banging his head against the wall, Dimitri balls his fists cursing the witch over and over under his breath. Of course his curses are nothing compared to the curse she cast upon him. Never will he find peace until a beautiful damsel falls in love with him, but who can love a hideous monster like him? Not even the attractiveness of his human form could help him as everyone now knows what happens to him when the moon shines brightly in the sky. No beautiful damsel will love him knowing he kills innocent people and dooms others to a cursed life. No beautiful damsel can even get close to him because the blood lust drives Dimitri wild. Nothing and no one can save him or his wolves.

However his only and possibly last chance at salvation is here in Istanbul. All he has to do is find a way to talk to her. He has to know if it's possible for the beauty to love the beast. But how is he to talk to her? Dimitri once again bangs his head against the wall desperately thinking of a way he can talk to her. He could break out of the prison but that will scare her away. Maybe she'll come to him... _She will not come._ Dimitri knows that for sure. Yet stranger things have happened.

"We need to speak to him," the urgency of her voice pulls Dimitri out of his deep thoughts.

The Guardian posted outside sighs. "I cannot convince you not to do this, can I?"

"No," Dimitri chuckles quietly as he hears the slight amusement in her voice. "Besides could you deny this face?"

A loud gulp alerts Dimitri that she has used her beauty to get what she wants. _Some things never change_. That thought both comforts and haunts him. If some things never change, perhaps –

The Ozera kid enters Dimitri's jail first. He carries a crossbow loaded with three silver arrows. The sight amuses Dimitri, for he has no intention of harming anyone. Yet. And what can a crossbow do to him? Christian stands stiffly merely watching Dimitri. _Where is the huntress?_

He hears her take a deep breath then step inside and stand next to Ozera. The sight of her in a silky red dress that hugs her attributes and cascades below her hips makes him catch his breath as he remembers a certain little girl he used to call Red, and the feeling he thought would never return makes his manhood twitch. The huntress takes several steps forward; her hips sway delicately and mesmerizingly. She looks less menacing and sweeter without her sword or setting fire to her colleagues. When Dimitri had seen the pain in her face as she burned her mentor, he knew she is not as cold hearted as she pretends to be or like the stories say. She is stronger, but she is not made of stone like he feared.

"Milady," Dimitri bows his head while the spikes graze against the sensitive and raw skin of his neck. "What an honor to have you in my humble prison. Would you not take a seat?" He grins as she crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at him clearly irritated. _Oh this will be fun_.

Rose regrets not bringing her sword or perhaps a cross bow. The man is obscenely mocking her, and he is clearly enjoying her rising temper. No one mocks Rose Mazur and gets away with it. No one has ever made her feel so… childish. Uncrossing her arms, she turns to abruptly take the crossbow from Christian's hands and approaches the chained man. Aiming the cross bow at his forehead, Rose scowls down at him.

"I am not here to play," she snaps. "I will question you, and you will answer truthfully."

Dimitri rises his eyebrows at the cross bow and Rose's words. Surely the tales of his incapability to die have reached her, right? Surely she knows that the silver will do nothing but sting his skin like thousand little bites from bees. Sure he will bleed, sure it will hurt as the arrow cuts through the tissue, but his werewolf curse allows him to heal incredibly fast. Death is a foreign term for Dimitri, so Rose's unfinished threat is useless.

"And if I refuse?" Dimitri chuckles as he rises to his feet. Despite the chains and his height, Rose is mesmerized by the gracefulness of his movements. "What will you do, Red?" He grins as he towers over Rose.

Her heart races as he approaches her completely disregarding the crossbow. Shaking her head lightly, she holds the cross bow tighter, and he stops a couple of feet in front of her. This isn't the time to freeze again; she and Christian are on a mission to find out what Dimitri is up to.

"Why did you not escape with your beasts?" Rose says harshly as she keeps the crossbow aimed at his broad chest exposed by the rag placed upon him earlier. She snaps her eyes away from his clad chest and meets his.

Dimitri purses his lips trying to keep the smile inside. "Would you have liked me to?" He tugs at the chains lightly. "Because I still can."

Rose snorts and arches her left eyebrow. "You would not make it out of the dungeons."

"Is that a challenge, milady?" Dimitri mimics her by raising his own left eyebrow at her. "But that is no challenge. I can easily break the chains, shift, break your pretty and delightful little neck, bring the door down and run out here. Your Guardians cannot hold me down."

"Then why have you not done any of that?" Rose lowers the crossbow, for he is right. He can easily break out of here. The tales of his brute strength were proven real last night. "Why did you not escape earlier?"

"Rose," Christian steps forward and tugs at Rose's elbow. "Do not stand too close."

Dimitri drags his eyes away from Rose's and glares at Christian more specifically on his hand on her elbow. A deep growl resonates in the back of his throat as he takes another step towards Rose trapping her between Christian and him. The proximity of both males makes her feel uncomfortable while at the same time roll her eyes in annoyance as she is no damsel in distress. Everyone seems to forget she is a huntress, and goddamn it the best freaking huntress!

"If I wanted her dead, she would be dead. I would have killed her last night when you and the Guardians froze leaving her to fend for herself." Dimitri's nostrils flare in fury.

Christian narrows his eyes at the werewolf and pulls Rose away. "Forgive me if I do not trust you." He doesn't acknowledge the accusation because he feels the shame of having left Rose alone to face the beast last night. What will Lissa say when she finds out he didn't protect her best friend! But that is why Christian is standing in a dungeon speaking to a monster. For Rose.

"Enough," Rose jerks her elbow out of Christian's grasp and glares at him. "I am very much capable of taking care of myself." She turns to Dimitri. "I asked you a question."

"But you have not asked the right one," he glares one last time at Christian then turns to Rose with a smirk.

Rose frowns. "That is the right question: Why did you not escape? That is what Christian and I want to know so answer."

Dimitri shakes his head. "It is not the right question, but I will answer nonetheless, milady. I did not escape because I did not want to."

Both Christian and Rose groan in exasperation. It's not like they expected Dimitri to cooperate, but he is beyond exasperating. He is toying with them, they know it, and he is enjoying it by the satisfied smile on his lips. Turning his back on them, Dimitri heads back to his corner and sits with his legs open clearly uncaring that he is wearing nothing underneath. Rose blushes a little as she makes sure to look at his face, but she finds it hard to remove the image of his manhood from her mind. She digs her nails into her palm as if to snap herself out of those disturbing thoughts.

She briefly meets Christian's eyes then clears her throat. "Why did you not want to escape?"

Dimitri shakes his head like a father does when he is amused by his child's mischief. "Still not the right question, milady. I did not want to escape because I wanted to come here."

"Stop playing you bastard!" Christian snaps taking a few steps forward and taking the cross bow from Rose. "You know what she wants."

"She wants me inside of her," Dimitri throws his head back and laughs at the expressions on the hunters: flushed with anger and possibly embarrassment or perhaps lust on Rose's part.

"You will respect her," Christian fires the crossbow sending an arrow flying at Dimitri's forehead.

The arrow never reaches its destination as Dimitri catches it inches away from his face. Throwing the arrow aside, he gets up once again, bares his teeth, and stalks towards Christian, who is getting the bow ready to fire again. In the meantime, Rose is thinking fast trying to find the so called right question. She sighs and, though it pains her, asks the question she knew all along Dimitri wanted.

"Why are you in Istanbul?" Her words stop Dimitri inches away from Christian.

Turning away from the hunter, Dimitri smiles proudly at Rose like a child who has accomplished a great feat. "That, milady, is the right question."

He stalks gracefully and even sensually towards Rose, who holds her ground and doesn't move away. She shakes her head lightly at Christian, who has pointed the crossbow at Dimitri's back. Christian doesn't lower the crossbow but doesn't shot either. He trusts Rose knows what she is doing even if that involves letting the beast get close to her where it can kill her.

Dimitri stops inches away from her and lowers his head slightly to whisper his next words. "For you."


	5. Little Huntress

**AN: As always, thank you infinitely for the reviews, favs, and alerts. My deepest apologies for the late update; I've had waay too many distractions. I will try to update more frequently. Review, as always!**

_For you. For you. For you. _The words uttered by Dimitri seem to echo in the dingy and humid dungeon even though he whispered the words in Rose's ear. As Dimitri pulls slowly away from Rose, their eyes meet, and he can't help the grin that creeps to his face. She looks utterly shocked and even terrified. Those dark pools of brown cannot hide the shock of Dimitri's proclamation. Her shock takes him by surprise; has he not made clear his intentions since the moment they met? Perhaps not but now there is no more doubt as to what Dimitri wants, and he can only guess that is the reason behind her fear. Where is the fearless and mighty huntress he has heard so much of? Instead he has a little girl terrified of him or more accurately what he can bring to her life. That is what eventually makes him burst into laughter. In the end, no one is ever immune to the fear his mere presence imposes.

Rose seems to hear and feel the mock behind Dimitri's laugh, so she swiftly wipes her face of emotion and scowls in disgust at the creature for his continuous lack of respect. Finally, his laughter quiets down, but he makes no move to move further away. Even though she hates herself for this, Rose breaks eye contact with Dimitri and steps away from him. She goes around him and joins Christian, who still has the crossbow aimed at the werewolf, by the door. Before joining Christian, Rose makes sure the turmoil of her emotions are securely locked away in a deep vault later to be opened and examined when her friend and foe can't see her breakdown.

"Edison!" Rose barks at the young Guardian just outside Dimitri's cell.

Eddie, who is startled to hear his full name from Rose, jumps up and shoves the door open. He walks in sword ready to defend his Lord's daughter and good friend. What he finds is not what he expected at all. Christian is tense still pointing the crossbow at Dimitri, Rose's face is flushed and her chest rises and falls rapidly, and lastly, the prisoner is leisurely walking towards a corner.

"Guardian Castile," Rose snaps on her way out. "Do not feed the prisoner. He does not need the water or food. No one interacts with him until tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes mi-m… Rose?" Eddie doesn't know what has pissed off Rose so much because her formality is startling, and he doesn't know exactly how to address this formal Rose.

Without another word or glance to Dimitri or her friends, Rose storms out of the room leaving two males surprised and one amused.

"I hope you got what you wanted, milady!" Dimitri shouts after Rose knowing his voice will echo. The silver door slams shut after Christian and Eddie follow after Rose. "And do let me know if you wish to have a good time! It will be my pleasure!" Dimitri shouts over the deafening sound of the door slamming.

Once outside, Christian and Eddie watch as Rose stomps down the corridor without sparing them a glance or explanation as to what happened. Just as Christian is about to follow after Rose, Eddie grasps his arm and pulls him back.

"What happened in there?" Eddie asks quietly not wanting to be heard by the prisoner.

"I do not know," Christian shrugs aiming for nonchalance but his body is tense with worry. What happened in there indeed? All Christian knows is that whatever Dimitri whispered in Rose's ear cannot be good. "I will tell you if and when I find out."

With that, Christian leaves Eddie to return to his post of guarding the prisoner. Taking the stairs two at a time, Christian hurries out of the dark dungeons. Heading outside, he finds Rose leaning against a pillar clearly lost in thought as she does not hear Christian approach. Even when the hunter stands in front of her, Rose does not acknowledge him. Christian gives her a couple of minutes to think but after a while, he can't take it anymore. He has to know what has Rose so worked up. Granted, she loses her temper often, but this is different. This is not only anger; there's fear in her deep brown eyes.

"What did he say?" Christian demands gently but firmly. He knows Rose is the epitome of stubbornness, but he will find out what is troubling his friend. He can be as stubborn as Rose; he has learned much from Lissa.

"Nothing," Rose replies after a while. "Nothing you should concern yourself with." She gives Christian a smile that is meant to be reassuring but is more of a grimace.

"Rose," Christian steps forward and in her personal space trying to make her look into his eyes and lie to his face. "We have been friends since infancy; you know you can trust me…"

"I said nothing!" With one last glare to Christian, Rose shoves him aside and hastily walks to her room where she slams the door as if to keep out the feelings that are drowning her.

She goes to her four poster bed and sits down. Her eyes stare off into nothing as she analyzes what is happening, but there's a tornado raging inside of her. Although she knows there's nothing wrong with fear, she hates herself for fearing the monster. She swore the fear would never again keep her from getting her revenge. But there she is now. Shaking and sweating with fear at his return and what he can bring. He is here for her… She stands up and runs her hands through her hair in exasperation.

"He cannot have you, Rose." She chants to herself over and over as she paces her room. "He cannot have you. Not again."

The painful memories take her back to five years ago when she lost her mother. The day had been busy with those boring lessons on how to cook or sow, lessons that most of the time Rose never attended. It had been Rose's mother, Janine Hathaway Mazur, though that had insisted her daughter learn all that useless stuff.

"You never know what kind of man you might eventually marry," her mother used to say when Rose would whine that the servants would take care of it all. "What if you fall in love with a peasant? How will you care for him or yourself and children?"

"Why would I fall in love with a peasant in the first place?" Rose would scoff. "Daddy says I will marry the richest Lord!"

"Riches do not compare to love, Rosemarie." Janine would chastise. "Now listen to Kirova."

Rose never did and when she met that mysterious man in the woods days before, all her thoughts went to him. She knew who he was of course and what he did. The fear she always felt was quickly chased away when she looked into his beautiful brown eyes. His eyes held sadness and tiredness like the world had pummeled him to a pulp. Rose knew that thought was ridiculous. How can life defeat a creature like him? He defeats life. He takes lives. However that sadness she saw in his eyes kept her from running to her father and telling him whom she met in the woods every day before sunset. After that fateful night though, Rose regretted keeping her lips sealed.

She had not even made it out of her father's domain when the alarm began to blare. The sound of the urgent drums and horns echoed to the further of her father's lands. People dropped everything they were doing and rushed to get their loved ones to safety. Those who worked outside the walls of the Mazur domain ran towards the silver doors screaming in fear and anxiety. The crusaders were coming, and that could only mean one more terrible thing: rogue wolves. In time, Rose would learn the two kinds of werewolves out there.

One, the less harmless or as harmless as any werewolf can be, is the kind that follows one leader, an Alpha. Those werewolves are less harmless because the only time they truly are wild beast is during the full moon. During that time of the month, the wolves attack aimlessly while the rest of the month, they attack rich villages stealing gold, food, women, and strong men to turn into the damned. The second kind, the rogue werewolves refuse to follow a single leader. They run in packs in their full wolf forms and attack anything with body heat. Rogue werewolves enjoy the slaughter far too much which is why they joined the crusaders. With the crusaders, rogue werewolves are free to slaughter.

The thought of the crusaders having their own personal hell hounds spread fear like wildfire. No one wanted to be caught outside the protective walls of the Mazur household and even then, inside they could be easily slaughtered like trapped rats. Stan was the first to see Rose standing in the middle of the road stunned and unsure of what to do. He left another Guardian in charge of ushering people inside while he grabbed Rose's shoulder and pulled her towards the castle.

"Take her to her parents!" Stan barked at Kirova once he and Rose reached the Mazur castle.

As Kirova dragged her below the dungeons, Rose couldn't help wonder if the mysterious yet not so mysterious man would be ok outside with the wolves. Howling was heard above followed by screams of pain and intangible commands of the Guardians. Kirova grabbed her arm and tugged Rose along. When they reached the underground shelter, Abe quickly rushed to his daughter's side. The girl briefly registered that her father had a bloody lip and a bruise forming in his forehead.

"Rose," he hugged his daughter tight. "Did you see your mother?"

"N-no." Rose stuttered suddenly piecing the pieces together. The bloody lip and bruise on her father could only mean he had tried to go after Janine, who in turn had gone out to look for Rose.

"I am sure she is in the other shelters or in the company of the Guardians," Abe tried reassuring his daughter, but they both knew there was that ugly possibility Janine could have gotten caught by the wolves. They would find out the next morning that indeed she had.

"Mom!" Rose had shrieked upon seeing her mother in a stretcher covered in blood and terrible bites that tore her flesh.

No one let Rose get close to her mother. Kirova had held her in place with the help of a Guardian while Lord Mazur spoke quietly with Stan. In the end, Mazur grabbed Rose and pulled her inside the castle to keep her from witnessing the burning of her mother. Hours later, a blazing fire had been set up in front of the Mazur castle. Rose watched from a tower window how her own father carried her mother wrapped in white silk and threw her body in the flames. As she watched her mother burn with tears rolling down her cheeks, Rose swore she would rid the world of the werewolves. She swore the one who started the species would pay for the death of her mother. And she knew just were to find the culprit. She knew where he hid, so she stole a sword from her father's chambers and went out to kill him.

She never did. The fear froze her in place much like it had happened last night or even a few hours ago. For some reason, the beast never fails to make her falter letting the fear take over her body, heart, mind and soul. But this time, Rose swears to herself, it won't happen. Janine will get her justice. Rose will fulfill her vow. The werewolves will be gone by this time tomorrow, and Rose will finally forgive herself.

At the feast, Rose is far more composed and confident of herself. That trip down misery lane fed her hatred for the beasts, and she knows that tomorrow morning, she will not falter. She seeks Christian out to apologize for her behavior earlier. She finds him talking with Eddie and drinking wine. Taking a deep sigh and plastering an arrogant yet gentle smile on her lips, she approaches her friends. To her surprise, Christian and Eddie greet her like nothing had happened. They immediately start to tell stories, both sad and humorous, of the departed. Abe Mazur makes a toast later in the evening for those who gave their lives not only for Rose and him but also for the entire human race. He asks for a moment of silence, and then commands everyone to celebrate life and not death.

The next morning, Rose wakes up with a bit of a headache, but she cannot feel it as she is looking forward to finally behead the beast. Kirova has set up her clothes already: a dress that is not so puffy to get stuck with Rose's sword or any object down in the dungeon. The dress itself is simple made of white satin with a layering design on the skirt. A black leather corset holds the top of her dress. Although Rose is in no need of a corset, it does accentuate her figure and chest, and today, Rose wants to look great. Not for the beast but for someone else. With a small giggle, Rose leaves her room pulling her hair up in a low bun. Christian meets her on the way to the dungeons wearing all dark clothing.

Technically Rose is supposed to wear all white as is part of the custom established by the lords. Apparently the lords believe God will help the hunter, or huntress, if he, or she, is a pure person, or at least dressed purely. On the other hand, the spectators are supposed to be representatives of death which is why Christian and everyone who will be witnessing the execution of Dimitri Belikov have to wear black.

"Always breaking the rules, are we not Rose?" Christian shakes his head as he hands Rose her sword.

"Well, technically I am not huntress, so I can dress as I please, do you not agree?" Rose will always, or at least most of the time, will find a logical explanation to her rule breaking. "How many are attending?"

"I believe it is only your father, the Guardians who were with us, you, and me." He shrugs.

"Wait so he is not…" Rose trails off and pouts. "I thought he would…"

"He is not here yet," Christian rolls his eyes. "Should you not be concentrating on your task ahead instead of him?"

Before Rose can give Christian a quirky remark, Abe Mazur joins them quickly ending any jokes. The look on his face is grim and determined. He, like Christian, is wearing black. Sensing his father wants a word with her, Rose sends Christian ahead while she pulls her father over to a window that overlooks the gardens. The sun is not up yet, but the servants are already up and tending to their duties. They have no idea that the execution will be taking place in just a few short moments. Lord Mazur will spare his people and the lords the details of Belikov's death. Not like they will care. All everyone wants to hear is that the beast is dead and the terror days are over.

"What is on your mind Baba?" Rose asks as she watches her father gaze at the roses.

"Let me answer your question with my own question," he tears his eyes away from the roses and instead sets them upon his own Rose; his innocent and beautiful Rose, who has not been that innocent since the death of her mother. "Are you certain you want this?"

Rose takes a sharp breath and looks away. Abe knows that Rose has caused deaths; the deaths of beasts, yes, but deaths nonetheless.

"What is one more death Baba?" Rose replies darkly as if reading his thoughts. "Besides, this is the most important death of all."

Abe sighs knowing exactly what Rose means. Since Janine was burned along with all the other bitten, Abe could see Rose blamed herself, but instead of crying about it, she had begged to be trained to a huntress. Lady Tatiana Ivashkov had accepted to let her train with her nephew not to be a huntress but to learn to defend herself. It was only after Stan spoke for her to the twelve lords, who rather grudgingly accepted to let Rose be a huntress, did Abe have no other objection to let his only daughter damage her soul by seeking revenge and killing the beasts. Of course Abe is proud of his daughter as she is doing a holy job of ridding the world of cursed creatures and perhaps granting those cursed souls freedom but at what cost? The death of his innocent and happy daughter? Is revenge worth all that? Is it even revenge?

Abe opens his mouth to confess a deep secret, but he closes it knowing Rose doesn't need that. She needs to feel free of guilt and if the death of Belikov will bring that to her, then Abe will not deny her that. He will give his daughter the stars, the moon, and the sun.

"If this is what you desire…"

"It is Baba," Rose smiles reassuringly at her father and caresses his right cheek with the back of her left hand. "This is not only for us, for our freedom, but the freedom of the human race." Her gentle eyes harden. "The freedom of Mom's soul. She will rest easy knowing the culprit is done for."

Once again, Abe hesitates and wonders if perhaps now is the time to – No. As selfish as it sounds, the death of Belikov _will _set Janine's soul free, so one more death on Rose's hand is nothing. Correct? Before his resolve falters, Abe leans forward and kisses his daughter's forehead.

"Set us free, then."

Holding on to her father's arm, Rose heads down to the dungeons where everyone awaits for the release of the human race. Once down in the dungeon, Rose lets go of her father's arm. He walks ahead of her as she takes a deep breath. The prisoner is still shackled and wearing that rag over his body that covers nothing. His arms are behind him with silver shackles around his wrists and also feet. The spiked collar is still around his head only to be removed after Rose beheads him. It brings a sense of satisfaction to Rose as she sees him on his knees head bent forward and resting on a wooden surface.

Dimitri hearing the steady beating of her heart and smelling her delicious scent of roses, how ironic, and wine alerts him of her presence. He turns his head to his right and his eyes meet hers. She looks composed and every bit like a huntress as she merely looks down at him and unsheathes her sword. He flashes her a grin as she steps forward with her sword raised high. No prelude, no warning, no vows, no words of hatred exchanged this time. Dimitri closes his eyes waiting for his beauty to set him free.

"Little Huntress," a tired yet amused voice calls from behind Rose. "Do not start without me."

A delightful smile spreads across Rose's face as she lowers her sword and turns away from Dimitri. It is then that he realizes this is all wrong.

**I didn't proofread because I wanted to update, so my apologizes for any mistakes. And you know what to do! Review with your thoughts! (: **


	6. Black Fog

**AN: Y'all just blow my mind with the reviews, favs, and follows. Thank you! (:**

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The beauty does not belong to him. This Dimitri knows for sure by the appearance of Rose's radiant smile upon hearing the voice of a man Dimitri remembers distantly. The memory comes back to Dimitri though when the man steps into the small and gloomy room chosen for Dimitri's decapitation. Lord Adrian Ivashkov of Budapest is the arrogant son of a bitch who had the honor of being the first hunter to have a crack at killing Dimitri. The werewolf remembers that Adrian had been hung-over on the morning of his decapitation, so the hunter had clumsily chopped off Dimitri's arm by mistake followed by the head. During the ordeal, Dimitri could only rolls his eyes and wonder why the ladies across Europe were smitten with the drunk imbecile.

Perhaps Dimitri cannot see it, but Adrian Ivashkov is handsome with forever tousled brown hair, green eyes, tall in height, and on his better days, he wears silk. Today though, there's fatigue in Adrian's eyes, and his clothing is covered in blood. Rose, however, does not seem to care the man is in terrible condition as she throws her arms around his torso. Adrian kisses the top of her head as he embraces her with his hands resting on her lower back. Dimitri fists his hands behind his back and struggles to keep himself in control even though he wants nothing more than to rip the man's arms off. But Dimitri must wait and watch silently. _Perhaps he is a friend_, Dimitri tries to convince himself though he can see Adrian is clearly more than a friend for Rose.

"I thought you were not coming," Rose says as she leans back enough to see Adrian's face while still remaining in his embrace. While Dimitri cannot see her face, he can hear a strong emotion, which he cannot decipher, behind her words.

"I would not miss your shining moment, Little Huntress," Adrian gives Rose a lopsided grin and leans forward. "How about a welcoming kiss for your knight?" He whispers against Rose's lips before they meet.

Rose smiles mischievously as Adrian brushes his lips lightly against hers. The chaste kiss soon gains momentum and heat, and as it does, Rose interlaces her hands behind Adrian's neck while he holds her waist gently yet firmly against his body. As Rose feels the bulge in Adrian's pants get bigger, she bites his lower lip making him moan deep in his throat. The Guardians in the room look everywhere but at the couple while Eddie and Christian share a look and a smirk. Neither Rose nor Adrian cares for the spectators as they get lost in the feeling of their tongues dancing in perfect harmony.

"Should you kiss my daughter like that in my presence?" Mazur snaps with annoyance thick in his voice.

Adrian is the first to pull away leaving Rose pouting and annoyed at her father for interrupting this sweet reunion. The last time she saw Adrian was at his twenty first birthday more than six months ago. On that fateful night, many lives were lost, and Rose and Adrian could not enjoy each other's company as he was grieving for his mother. Rose had wanted to stay with Adrian and comfort him as she knows all too well what it's like to lose a mother, but she had to return to Istanbul and protect her father's people. It did not help either that travel is dangerous with the crusaders still out there plus the werewolves. Not often enough does Rose see her friends, Lissa, Christian, or Adrian. Her excitement and relief at seeing Adrian well and alive made her forget etiquette or the task ahead of her.

"I apologize Lord Mazur," Adrian tries to wipe the smirk off his face as he addresses his future father-in-law, but he finds it hard to be serious. "Little Huntress makes me a little insane."

"Do not blame on Rose what you already are," Christian says as he steps closer to the couple with his own mocking grin. "Besides you are not a little insane, you are fully insane."

Adrian snorts but shakes Christian's hand. "Nice to see you as well, Ozera."

"How was the trip?" Rose asks as she holds Adrian's free hand. "I see you ran into trouble."

Adrian gazes down at his bloodstained clothes and hands while the smirk leaves his face. Sometimes he can be serious especially where death is concerned. Adrian had left Budapest two days ago with thirty Guardians. On the first night, Adrian and his Guardians had barely made it before nightfall to a village in Leskovac, Serbia where they asked a lord for shelter. No lives had been lost on that night, thankfully. It wasn't until last night that a group of wolves attacked Adrian and his company leaving Adrian, alive and unbitten, three Guardians have been severely wounded, and the rest is dead or turned.

"Rogue werewolves," is all the explanation he gives to the group gathered in the room. "I hope you do not mind Lord Mazur, I ordered your servants to tend to my Guardians."

"Not at all," Abe nods his head. "Whatever you need, Lord Ivashkov. This is your home."

"Thank you. Does that mean I am allowed to call you 'Baba' now?" The arrogant smirk returns to Adrian's lips as he can't pass up the opportunity to make the old _zmey_ blush with anger and annoyance.

One would think that Adrian and Abe get along because of Rose and her engagement with the dashing Lord Ivashkov. That is not the case. While Abe did promise his little girl she will marry the richest lord in all of Europe, Adrian is not the right man for Rose, or so Abe keeps telling his daughter. While Adrian is a powerful lord and a deadly hunter, the reputation he gained in his earlier years of a womanizing and drunken young man cannot be erased in the blink of an eye. Ibrahim fears that Adrian, upon his marriage with Rose, will seek out a mistress or many mistresses and subject Rose to humiliation. What Abe does not know is the depth of Adrian's devotion and love for Rosemarie. Or Rose's own love for Adrian. Despite their previous differences, Rose and Adrian gave being friends a chance. That friendship soon turned into something more, something neither of them nor Lady Tatiana, who prefers a well-mannered lady like Lissa for her nephew, expected. No one, Rose and Adrian have sworn, will destroy what they have.

"That privilege is only for me, Adrian." Rose quickly intercedes before her father rips Adrian's head off with his bare hands. "Is that not right, Baba?"

Abe doesn't reply as he just grunts and crosses his arms over his chest. He cannot understand how Rose can put up with Adrian's lack of respect.

"This is very amusing and all," Christian's voice hints that the conversation is not amusing at all. "But we have some matters to take care of." He jerks his head toward the werewolf still on his knees head over the wooden surface.

Dimitri could only watch as Rose gazed lovingly at the arrogant Lord Ivashkov. The witch lied to him; she was wrong. Rhonda fooled him! No. He has to stay calm. He can't despair yet. As the Guardians and hunters look at him as if he is the devil himself, Dimitri tries to remember what Rhonda told him…

"Christian is right," Her voice and the sound of her heart beat won't let Dimitri concentrate.

It's like she has him under her own spell; a whole different kind of spell, but a spell nonetheless. He looked for her far and wide. He searched for the beauty that would set him free, and when he finds her, she belongs to another man. Rhonda had said the beauty had to care for him, and Red did at some point. He hung on to the hope that upon seeing him after so long, she could forgive him and learn to care for him again. But that had been foolish of him; her words five years ago had been full of hatred, and hatred, Dimitri knows, does not disappear easily. If only she had not hesitated years ago, he would be free by now, and she, well, she would be free too because as long as he lives, he will not leave her be until she sets him free.

"We have to take care of him," Rose sighs and picks up her sword which at some point ended on the ground.

"How have the other lords treated you, Beast?" Adrian grins as he begins to circle Dimitri. "I bet none of them are as hospitable as the Ivashkovs."

"So far no," a mischievous grin appears on Dimitri's lips as the opportunity to piss of Ivashkov is presented to him. "Until I arrived here. Rose has been keeping me company. Why just last night we fucked all over the place. You should have heard her scr-" Dimitri's words are cut off by his grunt of pain as someone jerks his arms further back.

"Do not disrespect me," Rose hisses as she tugs on the beast's arms not caring for the sound of his shoulder dislocating.

As Adrian bends forward to Dimitri's eye level, he laughs. "If your purpose was to anger me, you have failed, beast. I know my Little Huntress, you do not."

"Oh but I do," Dimitri sneers through the pain. "But do not tell me she has not tol-"

Once again Dimitri is cut off this time by Rose tightening the spiked collar around his neck so that the spikes bite into his flesh drawing blood and cutting off his ability to speak. Knowing the longer the beast is alive, the higher the possibility of her dark and terrifying secret has of coming out. She cannot allow it. If Dimitri speaks, her father will hate her. Christian will turn his back on her and by consequence Lissa will too. Eddie will cease to respect her and see her as a friend. And Adrian will no longer love her. No one can know the relationship Dimitri and Rose had five years ago. The only witnesses to Rose's betrayal and dark past are the trees, the wind, the sky, Dimitri and her, and it will stay that way.

"You talk entirely too much," Adrian shakes his head still smirking. "Little Huntress, put this poor man out of his misery already."

"Put us all out of our misery," Christian mutters darkly as he hands Rose back the sword she had dropped in order to punish Dimitri for his impudence.

"Set us free Rose," Abe nods as he steps off to the side between Eddie and Pavel.

Rose only nods as her hands steadily hold the sword. She takes her earlier position to Dimitri's right with her back to the door. As she slowly raises her sword above her head, Rose glares at the man at her feet. Dimitri looks up at her as well. Their eyes lock like they have been doing since he chased away his beasts. Both of them see their secret meetings in each other's eyes. When their hands would touch or he brushed a hair out of her face makes Rose's hands sweat. Dimitri hears her heart skip a beat, and he knows she must be thinking of the time she brushed her lips against his cheek.

For what feels like forever, Rose and Dimitri look at each other the memories still flashing in front of them. And for the third time, Rose hesitates. She cannot kill this man. There's something in him that radiates sorrow, and she wants to help him. There is a story, which he never shared, behind this man, and she somehow feels like she plays a part in it. As time keeps ticking by, Rose can hear the Guardians and her loved ones begin to whisper and worry that something is wrong.

"Little Huntress…" Adrian steps closer to Rose and touches her tense left arm. "Are you…"

"In need of an encouraging kiss?" Out of who knows where, Rose pulls herself together enough to reassure Adrian nothing is wrong.

"Is that all?" Adrian gives her a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes as he worries for his love. While the question sounds playful to everyone, to Rose is an invitation to trust him, and tell him what she is feeling. But she is afraid that he won't look at her like he is now with love.

"Of course," Rose lowers her sword and turns to face Adrian. "What are you waiting for Lord Ivashkov?"

"Forgive my manners milady." Rose grimaces at Adrian's use of 'milady' since it reminds her of the beast, but Adrian doesn't see her grimace. He touches her lips with his and kisses her passionately holding her face between his hands like she is a breakable and valuable figurine. "Is that encouraging enough?" Adrian whispers as he pulls away, and Rose leans forward wanting more.

"More than enough," and it is. Rose can feel her mind clearing of doubts and fears.

Adrian steps away after a last peck on her lips. For the third and last time, Rose takes her position and raises her sword. Dimitri's eyes are hard and full of some emotion Rose cannot decipher, but she does not care. The memories threaten to take a hold of her mind again like a thick black fog. However, this time, the only memory Rose allows to replay is of her mother's body burning. The hatred burns deep inside her making her blood boil and her muscles to tense. With a pained battle cry, Rose brings her sword down slicing Dimitri's head clean off.

Breathing heavily, the huntress keeps her hands firmly on the sword leaning against it as she tries to compose herself. The beast's head rolls away and stops at Eddie's feet. The Guardian looks disgusted at the head and kicks it away to the middle of the room. Black and thick bood pours from the gaping hole on the beast's neck. Straightening up, Rose turns to face the crowd. Everyone is silent as they stand stoically along the wall. Adrian is the first to react pulling out a handkerchief with his initials and cleaning Rose's face.

"You had a small smudge, Little Huntress," he smiles sweetly and kisses her forehead. "You did well. Now let us wait and see if this time he is truly dead."

Nodding, Rose wipes her hands on her white dress, which is already soaked in the beast's blood, she then takes Adrian's hand and follows him to stand along the walls. Christian meets her eyes, and they only nod as they turn to stare at a headless Dimitri. Rose does not know what she is waiting for. The man is unmoving, blood still pouring from his severed trachea, but the stories she has heard say that the beast just keeps coming back. Neither Christian nor Adrian has ever spoken about what happens or how Dimitri can recover from such a fatal wound. And honestly, she doesn't want to know. So Rose simply stands between her fiancé and best friend and waits for whatever it is she is supposed to wait for.

"It seems this time he is truly gone," Adrian says after a few minutes of dead and uncomfortable silence.

Abe steps forward and needing reassurance that the beast is gone, he kicks the head. It rolls and rolls until it stops at Rose's feet. The head looks up at Rose with empty eyes, his hair is all over his forehead, and his face is covered in blood. But his lips are what frighten Rose the most as they are turned upward in a satisfied smirk. Unable to keep making eye contact with a dead person, Rose kicks away the head until stops again this time next to the rest of the body. Out of nowhere, Abe begins to laugh which is clearly an invitation for everyone to join in. Adrian is next; his laughter is off though like he can't believe it yet. To Rose's left, Christian is still staring at the body, still waiting for something. After a while, everyone finally joins in even Rose lets out a relieved chuckle as Adrian pulls her into his arms and rubs her back.

"You did it, Little Huntress," the pride in his voice makes Rose's heart swell and flutter. "Thank you. I know his death means as much to me as it does to you."

Rose only nods and lets her father pull her away from Adrian and into his arms. And soon she has hugged everyone even Christian, who is still tense, but Rose leaves him be knowing he will talk when he is ready.

"A banquet!" Abe shouts clapping his hands together. "There will be a banquet to celebrate tonight! I will send word to…" He trails off as the room gets colder. Everyone can feel the sudden change in temperature which makes the hair on everyone's neck stand up. There's something in the room, something sinister.

Just in time, everyone turns to watch as Dimitri's head bursts into flames on its own. And just as the fire started it extinguished leaving behind only ashes. Out of the wound on the beast's head, a black and thick fog begins to form. The Guardians cross themselves and utter prayers as they try to get as far away as possible from the dark magic. Rose, though, steps forward with eyes wide and mouth agape as she can't believe what she is witnessing. The black fog has Dimitri's body surrounded as if embracing and cloaking him from the eyes of the mortals. At first, Rose considers the possibility that the devil is taking back its servant, but she dismisses that thought as the fog begins to thin and someone groans.

"Son of a…" Abe stops his expletive realizing his daughter is present, but he cannot believe what his old eyes are seeing. No one can. Not even Adrian, who has already witnessed this. Besides he truly believed his Little Huntress would finally finish the monster off, but the black magic seems to be refusing to be defeated. Christian, on the other hand, was waiting for this.

"Bitch," Rose finishes for her father as Dimitri stands up and cracks his neck.

"No need to be so rude," Dimitri laughs wickedly.


	7. The Damned

**AN: Holy macaroni! Y'all just blew my mind with all the love! :) Thank you! I appreciate the speculations and guesses (**ClauIloveDimitriBelikov**) I hope to hear more from y'all! I won't give anything away though because everything will be revealed in time! ;) Also, please forgive me for taking so long to update. I've been sick with a cold and a horrid case of writer's block. Anyway, here's my attempt at another chapter.**

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The Hunters and the Guardians were formed by thirteen lords two hundred years ago with the purpose of protecting the lords and their vassals from the werewolves. However, in time many other lords began offering gold and men to the thirteen lords in exchange for protection. For years, the brave sons of all thirteen lords have trained to become hunters while out of all the vassals under a lord, only the best are picked to be Guardians, who protect the hunters on their journey to finding and killing Dimitri Belikov. Many brave men have fallen in their attempt at capturing Belikov all to no avail until he was captured in Moscow. The thirteen lords had rejoiced knowing the curse fallen upon them would end. When Lord Ivashkov did not succeed at killing the beast, and he informed the other lords of how Dimitri kept coming back to life, the lords decided to pass the beast from one lord to another in the hope that one of the hunters would be 'pure' enough to kill the beast.

Lord Mazur refused to receive the beast in his household. Even though everyone has lost family members to the werewolves, Lord Mazur took the death of his wife terribly hard. Rose, on the other hand, thirsty for revenge begged her father to give her the chance to kill the beast and bring justice to her mother and everyone who had died. Like Rose knew, Abe gave in and announced to the Ozeras, after their failure, that he would take the beast into his home so Rose could kill him. None of the lords protested. They now know that Rose is good at what she does, and despite being a woman, they want her to free them from the beast.

Adrian had not minded the ridicules at his expense for not being able to kill the monster. In his defense, he had been hungover and possibly still intoxicated in wine. In the end, Adrian didn't care who killed the beast as long as he was dead. However Adrian did have the hope that his Little Huntress would be the one to kill him. He knows there's no one like Rose. But watching her cut the beast's head over and over again, Adrian fears there's no salvation; there's no way to get rid of Dimitri Belikov.

Rose screams frustrated as she cuts Dimitri's torso in half followed by the head and arms. She steps back and wipes the blood and sweat from her brow. Like the previous fifty times, the limbs burst into flames then a black fog begins to form around the flames hiding Dimitri. Once the fog and the fire is gone, Dimitri is once again whole, unwounded, and very much naked. Smiling at the baffled and frustrated Guardians, Dimitri yawns.

"Are you done milady?" He stretches and cracks his knuckles. "This is rather tedious." He chuckles as he watches the vein on Rose's neck twitch.

"Bring me a torch," Rose snaps at no one in particular. Eddie steps forward with a torch. "Light him up when I'm done." She growls as she runs after Dimitri and once again cutting his head off.

Eddie rushes forward and sets fire first to Dimitri's head then to the rest of his body. The beast begins to burn. Rose figured since the fire seemed to get rid of the dead limbs then perhaps setting the limbs on fire would have another effect. The fog doesn't form, and the fire doesn't extinguish. After a while, Rose takes a deep breath and orders the Guardians to put it out. Dimitri's charred head and body lay on the floor with no fog surrounding it. Before they celebrate, everyone remains motionless and quiet then, like they suspected, the fog forms hiding Dimitri until once again he's whole.

"Son of a bitch," Rose screams frustrated and kicks an empty bucket.

"Milady, a mouth like yours should not be capable of such wicked words," Dimitri mocks as he sits crossed legged on the ground. "However, I do wonder what kind of things your mouth is capable of."

"Shut up!" Rose screeches as she tugs at her long hair.

"Well, someone is in a foul mood," Dimitri snorts. "Perhaps I can fix that why don't you send them all away, and I take you right here…"

"That is enough!" Adrian snaps as the failure of the day finally weights him down. "Hold your tongue or I will cut it."

"I will just get a new one," Dimitri shrugs. "And I will use it to lick her sweet and delicious…"

Rose turns around and in a single movement cuts Dimitri's head off. She can't stand him talking with so little respect for her, but most importantly, she hates that he knows her deepest secret. He has attempted to tell everyone several times, but Rose is too fast and always ends up cutting him off, literally. She turns away from him as the head bursts into flames. There's no way to kill him; the dark magic keeps bringing him back to life over and over again. Rose begins to pace as the black fog once again surrounds Dimitri.

"We have tried it all Rose," Christian speaks for the first time since Adrian arrived.

Christian had been quiet as Rose kept going at Dimitri with her sword. He knows there's something else going on. He knows there's a story behind the man. Over the years, rumors have spread far and wide about Dimitri's origins, but it has been so long that no one really knows which story is the truth. Some say he was married to a witch, and he betrayed her so as revenge she cursed him. Others say he made a pact with Satan. In the end, no one really knows what happened, and the rumors are just rumors. It is also said that when Dimitri dies all his victims return to being human and others say that he doesn't die, he merely returns to being human. None of the rumors and stories matter though. They provide no helpful information, but Christian believes that the only way to killing the beast is by finding out about his past.

"Nothing seems to kill him. He is damned. We all are." Christian shakes his head as Dimitri sits once again with his legs crossed and watching the young hunter closely. "We should give it a rest. You need to rest Rose." With that, Christian turns around and leaves.

"I do believe Ozera is right, Little Huntress." Adrian takes the sword from Rose's limp hand. "You ought to rest. He will not be going anywhere."

"Baba?" Rose asks without taking her eyes off Dimitri's.

"There is no point in continuing today," Abe sighs as he nods towards the Guardians to shackle Dimitri again. "Tonight we will discuss possible courses of action during dinner. Rest, Rosemarie."

But Rose cannot move; she is still staring at Dimitri as he gets a new collar, and Eddie ties his hands behind his back with the chains. The anger and disappointment of her failure hit Rose like the ocean hits a rocky cliff repeatedly and violently. After all the embarrassment and preparation for today, Rose had still failed, and she cannot believe it. How can she fail? What must she do to kill this beast? In her eyes, Dimitri can see all the hatred in the world. Twice in his lifetime has Dimitri seen this hatred, and like the first time, it shakes him to his core. He looks away unable to hold Rose's gaze anymore. How could he be so naïve to think Rose would be the one to set him free? Since that fateful night when Rose's mother died, Dimitri should have known that Rose's hatred would never diminish.

What Dimitri does not know is that Rose doesn't hate him. To hate the monster, Rose would have to have loved or cared for him to begin with, and she refuses to acknowledge what happened years ago. Instead, Rose glares at Dimitri with anger and disgust which are merely reflections of what she feels for herself. Once Dimitri is as secured as he could ever be with flimsy silver chains, he is slowly led out of the room. To Rose's surprise, he doesn't say anything inappropriate to her in fact he keeps avoiding looking at her at all.

"Go get some rest, Rose." Abe commands his daughter as he glances at the blood covered room. "Send someone to clean this place." Lord tells Sergei before leaving the room.

Only Adrian and Rose stay behind. Adrian had been silently watching both Rose and Dimitri as they looked into each other's eyes. For a second, Adrian could have sworn he saw longing in Dimitri's eyes, but as soon as that look came to the beast it quickly disappeared replaced by determination of what Adrian did not know. On the other hand, Rose had been looking at the beast with distaste yet intermingled with sadness. With a shake of his head, Adrian dismisses those silly thoughts. His Aunt Tatiana has been getting some strange ideas into his head about magic and how the Ivashkovs come from a line of witches, which is nothing to be proud of according to Adrian's father. Still, Tatiana encourages Adrian to stay alert, and soon he will find he's capable of extraordinary things like being aware of people's emotions. But to Adrian, they are just tales of an old lady losing her mind as she did want to build an underground city.

"Little Huntress," Adrian touches Rose's shoulder gently. "Let us get you cleaned up as well."

"I do not understand Adrian," Rose whispers as her eyes roam over the room covered in black blood. "Why did I not kill him? All this time preparing myself for this day and I could not even do it."

"Rose," Adrian rarely ever uses Rose's name as she has always been his Little Huntress. Only when he is being serious, which is rare as well, does he use her name. But this moment calls for seriousness; the love of his life is suffering. "It is not you. There is something wrong with him. He is damned with black magic."

"But I thought I…"

"Stop," Adrian grabs her shoulders and turns her to face him, but she averts her eyes as she looks at the ground. "Rose, look at me." She refuses, so he tilts her head up. "You are excellent at what you do, Little Huntress, but not even the legendary Rosemarie Mazur can defeat black magic. No one can. Well, witches can but that is…"

"That is it! Perhaps we should ask for help! Baba has a sister, and she…"

"No," Adrian shakes his head and begins to pull Rose out of the dungeon which is now being cleaned by the maids. "Do not get involved with black magic, Rose. Nothing good will ever come of that."

"We have no other choice!" Rose snaps and pulls away from Adrian. "What are we to do with him if we cannot kill him? Will we just pass him from one lord to another for centuries never to find rest or justice?" She scoffs and stalks away from Adrian. "Besides you have told me your aunt meddles with magic why not I as well?"

"She does and that is a secret I would like you to keep to yourself, and you cannot because I do not want you to get in trouble." Adrian says quietly yet fervently as he catches up to Rose. "And need I remind you that my aunt is insane; you have said it yourself. There has to be another way other than magic, Rose."

"Well, I would love to hear what you have in mind!" She snaps as she shoves the door to her room open. "Please, I am listening."

Adrian groans as he sits on Rose's bed then falls backwards arching his back and stretching his arms over his head. The weight of the day and the previous night has taken its toll on Adrian as much as it has on Rose and Christian. Right now, Adrian would kill for some wine or perhaps a cuddle with his fiancée but no. His fiancée is in the mood for figuring out a way to save human kind. Of course that trait is what made Adrian fall in love with Rose: her passion and desire to free the world from evil has always been endearing, among other things, to Adrian. But today, Adrian would like Rose to loosen up a little and forget all about revenge. Knowing Rose, though, that is impossible. She will not rest until Dimitri is gone, and that is what Adrian has to do: help Rose figure out a way to get rid of Belikov once and for all.

"I do not know," Adrian sighs annoyed because as much as he'd like Belikov out of the way, Adrian has no idea of how to do so. "Perhaps we should ask him."

Rose shakes her head and goes over to her bathroom where the bathtub has already been filled with warm water. She quickly strips off her clothes and begins to wash the dry blood of her face, arms, neck and hair. Once she is done, she submerges herself on the bathtub and stays like that for a couple of seconds. When she comes up for air, Adrian is leaning against the door frame and watching her hungrily. Before Rose can protest, Adrian removes his clothing with a speed she didn't know he was capable of leaving him nude.

"Do you have room for one more?" He asks seductively as he joins her inside the tub.

"Get out," Rose says weakly because after a tiring day, the last thing she wants is to argue with Adrian. Besides seeing him naked makes her stomach twist, in a good way.

She has not been with anyone, ever. Despite the etiquette of waiting until marriage and only being with one man, no one follows it and only pretends to do so. Rose knows for a fact that Christian and Lissa have been together more than once. The night of Adrian's twenty-first birthday was the night Adrian and Rose were supposed to go all the way. The attack of the werewolves interrupted that moment, and they haven't gotten the chance to attempt to have sex again.

Adrian also knows that the small dispute of earlier is forgotten, at least for now, and Rose doesn't really want him to get out. He moves slowly towards Rose splashing water all over the floor while a grin spreads across his lips. On the other hand, Rose is not about to give it up easily. She crosses her arms over her chest and crosses her legs. Adrian is not about to give up easily, so he manages to squeeze between Rose and the wall of the tub to kiss her left shoulder. Slowly, he trails kisses up her neck over her jaw and finally to her lips. At first, Rose shuts her lips firmly but when she feels his tongue attempt to pry her mouth open, she gives in.

Tangling her hands on Adrian's wet brown hair, she pulls him towards her and kisses him passionately letting their tongues touch and dance. Finally, Adrian maneuvers so he hovers between Rose's legs. Desire begins to pool between Rose's thighs as she feels Adrian's hard bulge brush against her stomach. Adrian pulls away from Rose's lips to which she moans in protest, but he merely grins as he lowers his head and begins to suck on her right nipple.

"Quit teasing," Rose gasps as he runs his tongue between the valley of her breasts.

"Are you ready then?" He asks with a smile as he twirls his tongue over her left nipple.

"Yes," she whispers.

As Adrian reaches down to place his dick at Rose's entrance, he slips and resting his head on Rose's abdomen. She begins to giggle as he recovers and grunts annoyed at himself for ruining the moment.

"Perhaps we should take this to the bed," he says as he gets out of the tub.

"I do not know," she bites her lip. "I imagine it will be so hot to do it in the tub."

"It will be uncomfortable," Adrian argues grabbing a towel from a nearby rack and extending out for Rose. "But if you do not want to…"

"Fine," she sighs and lets Adrian pull her out of the tub, wrap the towel around her, and carry her out. "Do not do that again." She smacks his arm playful when they finally lay down on the bed.

"Do what? Carry you?" He smiles and gives her a peck on the lips. "I will do it every day once we are married, Mrs. Rose Ivashkov."

"I like the sound of that," she says while her heart skips a beat at the sound of her future name. "Sadly, I will end up a widow soon because if you do that, I will kill you." She retorts kissing his right shoulder.

"Ah, I do love your stubbornness," he removes a wet strand from her face. "It is what made me fall in love with you."

Rose snorts. "Not my otherworldly beauty?" He shakes his head. "Or my sharp wit?" He chuckles and kisses her jaw. "Perhaps it was my luscious lips?" She says out of breath as he trails kisses down her stomach. "My delightful body?"

"No," he murmurs as he kisses his way back to her lips. "All of you. I fell in love with all of you."

She smiles lovingly up at him as she wraps her legs around his naked torso and rests her hands on the back of his neck.

"I love you," she says before pulling him down for a passionate kiss.

Those three words were heard by Dimitri down in the dungeon. He had been listening to her since he left the room. Like her, he was frustrated that she had not managed to kill him and set him free. Dimitri knows that perhaps Rose is not the one; perhaps he made a mistake when he assumed the thirteen year old girl he met five years ago was the one Rhonda referred to. But Dimitri desperately wants Rose to be the one mostly because he wants to possess her. The possessive and wild side in him wants nothing more than to own Rose, and by setting him free, they will both be bound for eternity. He doesn't love her, Dimitri knows that, and he doesn't care as long as she loves or cares for him.

Hearing those three words though have shattered something inside Dimitri. Any hope he had of possessing Rose or her setting him free is gone. An odd feeling in his chest begins to grow until it feels like he's dying. An inhuman sound, a sound caught between a howl and a pained cry, is ripped out of his chest. His mouth opens involuntarily letting the sound echo in the dungeons carrying it up to the darkening sky and over the forest where at least a hundred werewolves are hiding. At the sound of Dimitri's cry, time stops, the birds go silent, the vassals freeze, Lord Mazur stops midsentence, Adrian and Rose stop their kissing, and Christian and Eddie look out the window.

The scream of a Guardian breaks the eerie stillness of the afternoon. Dimitri has shifted, ripped the door to his cell open, and killed his Guardian. Following the scream of the dying man is the unified howling of a hundred angry werewolves running towards the walls of the Mazur household. Still in the dungeons, a dark brown and enormous werewolf races through the tunnels ripping anyone apart while his heart beats loudly against his eardrums like the hoofs of a thousand war horses. The tightening in his chest continues, so he howls painfully again rallying up the damned for the killing of a lifetime.

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**Didn't proof read again so forgive my mistakes! And to my DimitrixRose lovers, don't hate me for the AdrianxRose moments. I promise this is a D&R story! And if you are a R&A fan, I'm sorry! :/I hope to update again tonight so leave me some encouragement, so I push myself to write after my work out! (:**


	8. Brown Eyes

**AN: I meant to update before midnight, but I got waay too many distractions. Gr. On the positive side, I did update didn't I? Thanks for R&R and for those of you just joining the story, welcome and enjoy! (:**

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Rose and Adrian fumble to put on their dirty clothes on while the howling outside is accompanied by the screaming of Mazur's vassals. After what feels long hours but has only been seconds, Rose and Adrian are rushing down to the dungeons to make sure the prisoner doesn't escape. When they get to the stairs leading down, Rose and Adrian run into Christian and Eddie. The four friends quickly exchange a look before Rose runs down the stairs before Adrian can protest he go first. The tunnels are pitch black and eerily silent even with the screaming and howling going on above. Going by her memory, Rose reaches Dimitri's cell. As it is still dark, Rose slips on something, but Adrian catches her elbow before she hits the ground.

"We need a torch," Christian mumbles as Eddie begins to move around looking for a fallen torch.

"We are wasting time," Rose announces as she steadies herself and steps away from the cell. "I doubt he would stick around. Let us go help the Guardians above. Hurry."

The four of them hurry back the way they came and up the stairs. Outside it's a blood bath. Guardians are taking down wolves left and right, but the beasts keep coming jumping over the walls and through the broken gate. Many men, women, and even children are on the ground begging for mercy as the beasts rip through them painfully slow. Not all of them are saved by the Guardians because even the Guardians are being slaughtered.

Dimitri jumps from tower to tower shaking his head angrily and continuing to howl. He doesn't quite know what to do with himself. The animal in him wants to join his wolves in the feast while another side that Dimitri does not recognize wants him to stop this madness and think. There's something happening to Dimitri. That tightening in his chest cannot go away no matter how many times he howls as if to let out whatever is squeezing that poor excuse of a heart that he has. He jumps to another tower as he looks down at the bloodbath going on below him. Restless, he feels restless. He needs to rip and shred. He needs to find _him _and rip him to shreds. In that moment he is joined by a gray wolf covered in blood. Looking into his aunt's, Alberta, eyes, Dimitri can see concern and the unspoken question of what has caused him such strange howling as if he had been dying. In response, Dimitri growls and shakes his head pointing below him. Catching on to what Dimitri wants, Alberta leaves him be and returns to the slaughter. This time, Dimitri will join her.

A black wolf jumps in front of Rose just as she exits the castle. Without hesitation, she cuts the wolf's head off and moves on. Right behind her is Eddie, Christian and Adrian. Together, the three hunters and Guardian join the fight. Nearby Rose spots her father struggle to cut down a deep red wolf which Rose is not sure is the color of his fur or the blood of its victims. She races towards her father and before the wolf bites Abe's face off, Rose slices him in half.

"Old Man," Rose snaps as she helps him up. "You should be underground!"

"I will not hide again," he retorts picking up his sword and looking for another opponent. "Never again." And with that he rushes off to find another beast to kill.

For a second, Rose worries that her father will get himself killed, but knowing Abe, who is as stubborn as Rose herself, he will not listen to anybody and will do as he pleases. On top of that, Rose could see a murderous and angry glint in his eyes; he is frustrated as well that Janine cannot receive justice. Knowing she will hate herself if something happens to him, Rose lets him go besides the wolves soon descend upon her, and her only concern is killing as many as possible making sure that no other humans are hurt.

Nearby, Christian and Eddie are working together on getting the wolves away from the humans even the ones that have been bitten. The amount of werewolves running around is overwhelming that no one really knows what to do: retreat or fight? If they retreat, the wolves will have a greater chance of annihilating the inhabitants of the Mazur household. But if they fight the beasts, lives will be lost.

"We must get the civilians out of the way!" Eddie shouts to Christian as they stab their respective werewolves.

"Agreed," Christian nods and take a moment to look around. "But everything is chaos!" And it is.

Everyone is running around screaming before being pushed to the ground where they are ripped apart or merely bitten dooming the poor soul to the curse of the wolves. The plan of rushing inside the Mazur castle and down below the dungeons is soon forgotten as the panic strikes and women try to leave the once safe haven of Abe Mazur. They are all caught though. The wolves have the entrance surrounded so that anyone that actually makes it outside is met by more beasts. Even though the wolves don't know what happened, they know that their alpha has been harmed in some way, and they will not rest until the humans pay for whatever damage has been done.

"Sergei!" Christian calls to the Guardian who is just finishing off a white wolf with a gray streak. "Round up as many people as possible and take them to the tunnels! Get some Guardians to help!"

"But the beasts!" Sergei grunts as another wolf jumps on him.

An arrow through the wolf's head kills him instantly and freeing Sergei. "We will deal with the wolves." Adrian says as he lower the bow. "Do as Hunter Ozera commands. Eddie, go with him and make sure the orders are carried out."

Eddie nods and quickly rushes off with Sergei to rescue as many people as possible while killing the wolves that get on their way. Adrian and Christian nod to themselves and prepare to bring down all the wolves and once again shackle Dimitri, if he is still within the walls, which he is. Dimitri has been following Adrian since his paws hit the ground. Alberta had run off chasing two teenagers and leaving Dimitri to find the source of all of his frustrations and anger. Once Dimitri found Adrian, he began to stalk him to find the perfect moment to attack.

If there is one thing Dimitri will admit about Adrian is that the bastard is actually a deadly hunter. No wolf can sneak up on the drunkard son of a bitch. When Adrian's sword was knocked out of his hand, the bastard managed to kill the wolf on top of him with a rock by repeatedly smashing its head while keeping the teeth at bay with his free arm. But Dimitri knew that Adrian stood no chance against him. The only reason he had not attacked Adrian is because Dimitri wants a good opportunity that will give him the chance to kill the bastard slowly and painfully with no interruptions, so Dimitri jumps from one house to another thankful for the darkness that fell quickly over Istanbul.

As the fighting continues, Rose begins to tire but does not stop her from slashing and cutting away with her sword. The wolves, however, seem to never reach a limit as they just keep coming and coming at her. It doesn't help that she has to stop and rush over to help people get out of their houses or out of dead end alleys, so her energy is being used up as she runs trying to be everywhere at once. So it's no surprise when a wolf jumps on her back dragging her down.

Because of her fooling around with Adrian, Rose had not been ready for an attack, which she should always expect, so she never put on her armor. Without that armor, Rose is just as easy to rip apart as the woman and the baby she just helped get into the castle. The wolf takes its sweet time to rip into her flesh which gives Rose some time to try to think of a way out. She wiggles under the animal trying to maneuver her sword and strike its skull or at least the paw. The beast soon catches on to what she is doing so he digs his paw into her left shoulder making her cry out but quickly bite down on her tongue. If she is going to die, Rose knows she will die like Stan, without giving the animals the satisfaction of watching her in pain.

Her brief cry was carried by the breeze and was heard by Dimitri. Forgetting that he's after Adrian, Dimitri changes direction and leaps onto the ground his paws hitting the gravel furiously as he follows the sound of her cry. Dimitri stops running when he sees one of his wolves on top of her breathing heavily down her neck. Anger ripples through him making him forget the tightening in his chest. Throwing his head back, Dimitri howls and gives the order to retreat. Immediately, all wolves stop their massacre and run towards the nearest exit. The Guardians and hunters are baffled by the sudden change, so they let the beasts go. The wolf on top of Rose though whimpers and whines as if asking its master to let him have one last meal. Dimitri is not having any of it. He barks and growls deep in his throat sending the young werewolf away.

Like a cobra, Rose springs to her feet as soon as the wolf hops off her back. She grabs her sword and holds it up ready to defend herself if Dimitri attacks, but she has a feeling he won't, and that unsettles her more. What game is he playing? What does he want with her? She cannot fathom why a beast would take interest in Rose, and yet he has shown it since the first time they met. Five years ago, she hid behind a tree as she watched a stranger rise from where he fell from a tree. His brown eyes caught her attention as she could see disappointment and sadness, a deep sadness. Rose remembers that what she looked forward to the most to their secret meetings was seeing his brown eyes that reminded her of the delicious chocolate Kirova made whenever the weather outside was atrocious.

Those brown eyes that she once loved look back at her now with disappointment and an even deeper sadness. They stand frozen in the middle of the street as Christian and Adrian try to reorganize everything. It's like they are in their own world. In that world, Dimitri seems to beg Rose to do something, but she cannot decipher what.

_"Perhaps we should ask him." _Adrian's words echo in her head as she stares into the human brown eyes of a bloodthirsty beast. Could the solution be so simple? Could it be as simple as asking the beast what he wants? Rose figures she has nothing to lose.

"What do you want?" She whispers knowing the beast will hear her loud and clear but hoping no one else does. Her muscles tense up even more as Dimitri steps towards her completely disregarding her sword which is useless against him as Rose now knows.

Dimitri wishes he could tell her what he wants, but the curse won't allow him. Rhonda, curse the old woman, has been much to specific over the years always seeming to change the curse and twisting it into being far more difficult for him to break it. So he can't answer her question. Instead, he does something he has never done. He lowers his head to her chest and nuzzles his fur against her neck. She stiffens and drops her sword startled that the beast is so close to her. Somehow though, she is not afraid. Not this time. Slowly, Rose begins to raise her hand towards Dimitri as she suddenly wishes to know what his fur feels like.

The sound of an arrow pops the bubble in which Dimitri and Rose had been wrapped in. The arrow hits Dimitri's shoulder making him howl out in frustration and annoyance. He turns his massive head towards the source of the arrow knocking Rose backwards in the process. She falls on her ass as Dimitri growls at Adrian, who is already loading the bow again. With one last growl, Dimitri jumps to the nearest roof and over the wall to the outside world joining his pack. He has not accomplished what he originally wanted, but Dimitri leaves with a small victory: her heart beat had not been erratic with fear. In fact if Adrian had not interrupted, Rose would have buried her hand in his fur. As Dimitri runs, he swears he will get the bastard Lord Ivashkov one day soon, but first, he must speak to Mason, his right hand man, and set out with him to meet Rhonda. The feeling of his paws hitting the ground with force and speed give Dimitri a thrill though not a thrill compared to when he thinks of her sweet brown eyes.

Meanwhile, Rose is staring up at the wall where Dimitri left. She cannot believe she had been about to touch him. In fact she cannot believe she wanted to! What is happening to her? What is he doing to her to begin with? He makes her feel all confused inside like at the moment she is very angry at Adrian for interrupting them. When he extends his hand out to her, she ignores it and stomps away from the alley. Why is she even angry at Adrian? He saved her life! Granted, it didn't look like Dimitri would kill her; in fact he had also saved her by chasing away all the wolves. There's something else going on, but she does not know what that something is. It feels like it has something to do with her past with Dimitri because otherwise he would not have come to Istanbul or even stayed so long. As it has been clearly demonstrated, he had his wolves at the ready, and the Guardians could not hold him back from escaping.

The secret lies in her past, and Rose knows it. She doesn't like it, but she knows it is necessary to take a trip down memory lane. First though, she must take care of business and make sure her people are taken care of. A search party is formed to investigate whether the wolves have truly left. Another group is formed to fix the gate and any damages done to the walls. A last group is formed to burn all bodies while the unbitten and unharmed citizens are kept under the dungeons until further notice. Rose and Adrian are part of the search party. They still don't speak to each other as they walk through the darkness with a torch and sword in hand.

Once it is evident that Dimitri has escaped with his beasts, the search party heads back to the Mazur household. As they near the gate, Adrian pulls Rose back. The fear of being attacked is no more. By now the beasts are long gone their tracks lead towards Bulgaria, and it is risky to go after them after the major slaughter of tonight. The Guardians' numbers are low, and the Mazur household will need reinforcements from Budapest where the Guardians and hunters train. So there's no need to rush back to the 'safety' of the Mazur walls.

"What was that?" Adrian demands trying to control the shock and anger in his voice for finding Rose and Dimitri so close. "Why did you not kill him?"

"What is the point?" Rose snaps angrily as well as she hands her torch to a passing Guardian. "Nothing can kill him."

"Still, you remained motionless letting him… touch you. Why?" He can't keep the disgust off his voice.

"I am trying to find a way to kill him!" Rose shrieks angrily as she wishes Adrian wouldn't judge her. She knew he would act this way; she can only imagine what he'll do once he finds out about her past with Dimitri.

"Kill him?" He lets out a humorless laugh. "Yes, you will kill him with your hand on his head! If I did not know you better, I would say you are hiding something from me Rosemarie."

She swallows loudly and struggles to control her heartbeat as she rises her chin up defiantly. "I am not hiding anything but do as you please. Conjure up silly scenarios in your head. I know what I am doing, and if you cannot trust me, then perhaps this is the end of us." With those last words, Rose stomps away from Adrian.

Even as she walks away, she wants to take back those words. She doesn't want their relationship to end. They have been through so much to be together just to end everything over a silly argument because Rose is hiding something. Why can't she trust Adrian with all of her secrets? No one. She can trust no one. Not even Lissa with a secret this big. However if she wants to end this madness, she will need to relive her secret, but she can't handle it alone.

"Rose," Adrian catches up to her quickly. "You are being ridiculous. Stop. I am talking to you." He grabs her elbow and pulls her back.

"Let go," she pulls away and takes several steps away from him. "You know I hate when you treat me like your other women."

Adrian rolls his eyes and sighs. "Do not change the conversation. What are you hiding? Or what are you trying to do?" She doesn't respond and looks away. "Let me help you, Rose. In two months we will be husband and wife, you have to trust me for me to trust you."

She bites her lower lip as she considers telling Adrian what her plan is. However when she looks at him watch her with so much love, she knows she can't. If she tells him everything, he will hurt. Instead, she does the best she can to keep him safe.

"I need to speak with you, Christian, Baba and Eddie," she says as she links her hand through his arm the anger in her going away as more pressing matters weight her down. "We must spread the word that Dimitri Belikov has escaped."

"Little Huntress," Adrian stops walking abruptly. "You do realize that is suicide. The twelve lords will condemn you. Well, I will not, and if I say the word, no one will. However everyone will blame you and your father."

"I do not care Adrian," Rose sighs as she resumes walking with Adrian next to her. "I only care that the lords know, so they take protective measures. We do not know what the beast will do now that he is free."

"Fine," Adrian concedes. "I am leaving this instant for Budapest and pass the word along." He stops her again and pulls her into his embrace. He takes a deep breath committing her smell to memory because Adrian suddenly gets the feeling that this is the last time he will see Rose. "Take care Little Huntress. I love you."

"Me too," Rose says hugging him back briefly suddenly feeling like she needs space. "Be careful."

"Always am," he says before taking her face between his hands and kissing her lips. "I am sorry our time has been short and the sex was ruined, again. Soon you will be mine." He winks at her before leaving to find a horse that will take him to the Dashkovs in Serbia.

What Adrian doesn't know is that now, Rose is glad they didn't go all the way. Now that she thinks about it, the time didn't feel right. Well, now is not the time either to think of her private life. Rose closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to clear her mind. However when she closes her eyes, she sees a pair of brown eyes like molten chocolate. Opening them again, she shakes her head and rushes to find Christian. There is business to take care of before she takes a stroll down memory lane.

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**And we will soon get to some flashbacks to Rose's old life. But first, why does Dimitri have to see Rhonda? I need sleep, so I'll update as soon as I can! Again, no proof reading because I'm half asleep, but I did promise two updates!**


	9. Façade

**AN: Thanks for the amazing reviews! So much love for this story; it literally makes me tear up and swell with pride! Sorry for the late update; I always seem to get writer's block when I don't write for an entire day :/ Anyway, to answer some of your questions/comments: Rose is in fact still a virgin. Adrian and she didn't get to it b/c they were interrupted tehehe poor Adrian. I did enjoy their moment too at the end of the last chapter way better than the violence and sarcasm they treat each other with lol. We'll probably get some Rose flashbacks next chapter. Um, not sure if I should tell you whether Rose&Adrian will be done soon or whether Rose&Dimitri will see each other. Read and find out! Review as always! (:**

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Dimitri and his wolves run through the darkness of the forest for a couple of hours their paws making the ground tremble. Some jump over the trees howling and yelping in delight for having their leader back. The past six months or so have been tough and long for Dimitri's pack without their leader. At first they didn't know exactly what to do when Dimitri walked into the Voda's domain in Moscow. Of course Dimitri had left them in charge of Mason with strict orders to not try to rescue him from the lords. They had not listened. After two months of their leader's captivity, the wolves became impatient and attacked every time Dimitri was transported to another lord's household. Naturally the wolves are happy to be running alongside their alpha; however, some of them do worry about his wrath which they will surely face for their disobedience. But that is the last thing on Dimitri's mind.

Dimitri Belikov is not delighted or overjoyed that he is free running through the darkness with the autumn breeze ruffling his fur and feeling the leaves crunch under his powerful paws. He is frustrated that his beauty is not his. He is frustrated that either Rhonda lied or getting Rose to care for him will be harder than he thought. There's hope though. Their encounter in that alley has given Dimitri hope that he has not felt in five years. She wanted to touch him; he had felt her hand slowly move towards him, and her heart was beating steadily as he pressed his snout to her chest letting his furry head tickle the skin of her exposed neck. He shivers as he runs remembering how warm her skin was and how intoxicatingly amazing she smelled even slick with the sweat of battle. Shaking his massive head, Dimitri picks up speed concentrating solely on the sound of his paws and the beating of his wolves' hearts to keep from pondering what that strange feeling in his chest is.

Between Istanbul and Bulgaria, there is a cave hidden by the thick vegetation; this is where Dimitri heads to with his wolves right behind him. He is the first to step into the cave and immediately start his transformation back to human. The pain of shifting back to human is the same as shifting to wolf. After the very first transformation, though, shifting becomes second nature and the pain is a reminder of his cursed nature and his mistakes. The pain is the only thing that makes him feel less beastly and more human. Perhaps this is what Rhonda has been talking about all these years. The thought of the witch makes Dimitri growl as his organs rearrange. Once he is on the cold floor naked, he rises and finds his wolves surrounding him still in their beastly forms with their snouts touching the floor.

"No need to fear," Dimitri sighs as he paces the cave. "I will not punish you. Shift, rest, feed, do what you please. Mason, fetch me clothes. We must talk."

The wolves whine thankfully as some begin their shift back to human. The newest members give out howls of pain as they shift which Dimitri ignores. Ideally, as the alpha and creator of werewolves, Dimitri should be there to help his wolves, but he is so caught up in his selfish goals that he lets them deal on their own. He keeps pacing waiting for Mason to show up with clothes, so they can discuss their next course of action which will be finding Rhonda. Last time Dimitri saw the witch was two hundred years ago in Hungary where she read him his fortune and told him he had to find his beauty. Mason is supposed to keep tabs on the witch, so he will know where to go. Footsteps approach Dimitri, and he turns expecting Mason. Someone throws their arms around him and hugs him tightly, but the alpha stands stiffly with his hands by his sides.

"I am so relieved you are alive," Alberta backs away and hands her nephew some clothes.

"What did you expect?" Dimitri grunts as he takes the clothes and begins to dress.

"I do not know," Alberta shrugs. "The last thing you said before walking into Moscow… I was very terrified you would die."

"You do remember what is supposed to happen do you not?" Dimitri snaps annoyed. "Or would you prefer to always be… this?" He motions with his right hand to the wolves shifting while others can be heard fighting over something most likely a piece of meat. "Do you wish to always be a beast?"

Alberta crosses her arms over her chest and glares at Dimitri. "You are my nephew. The only family I have left and I will not allow you to kill yourself for us."

"I am the reason I am your only family," he practically growls back to his aunt not addressing that he does not care for anyone but himself. "I am the reason you have blood on your hands. I am the reason you are a monster."

Alberta sighs and fights to give her nephew the space he has always kept between him and other people. It saddens Alberta that her nephew has never let anyone in at least not since he was cursed. She hates the curse with all her might not because of what it has done to her or the others, but because it has turned Dimitri's life upside down. The wolves know. They know the reason behind the curse and what must be done to break it. Knowing the story behind Dimitri's curse gives the wolves a sense of protectiveness for their alpha, who does not admit it but has been hurt and keeps hurting. None of the wolves want their alpha to die. To Alberta is not only the attachment a wolf has for her leader, it's the blood they share as aunt and nephew. Once again she wishes he didn't have to push everyone away for his fear of being betrayed again or hurting more people he cares about.

"No one understands," Alberta whispers. "No one but us. You have us, Dimka. Do not push us away. Let us help you."

"Where is Mason?" Dimitri asks as he shakes his head refusing to acknowledge the pack and their undeserving support.

He can never grasp the reason behind their undying loyalty. Well, he knows some of the wolves do end up giving up their loyalty for their more beastly desires for blood and flesh therefore turning rogue. But those who have stayed with him from the beginning, they always amaze Dimitri. Alberta, Mason and Ivan have been his constant companions since he woke up from his very first slaughter. Not once have they complained or blamed him for what he has made them. The same goes for all his wolves, the ones who do not go rogue, stay by his side always protecting him giving their lives up for a monster. They all claim to understand him, but Dimitri wonders if anyone truly understands. How can they know what he feels? How can they know about his past and yet still remain by his side? It just doesn't add up. At the moment though, he does not care. He must find Rhonda, demand she give him answers, break the curse and be free.

"Where is Mason?" Dimitri repeats when Alberta looks up at the cave's ceiling.

"He is not here," she says meeting his eyes but quickly looking away as his once gentle brown eyes harden.

"Explain yourself." He bares his teeth and fists his hands trying to control his sudden rage. If Mason is dead, it will take Dimitri months to once again locate the old hag. Mentally, Dimitri curses his stupidity. He should have made several wolves keep tabs on the witch not only Mason. Out of all the wolves, besides Alberta and Ivan, Mason is the most over protective of all wolves. He is always by Dimitri's side ready to give his life up for the alpha.

"He was captured three months ago in Serbia. The Dashkovs are holding him captive in their household." She explains as Dimitri takes a deep breath relieved that his right hand man, or wolf, is not dead.

"He is not dead, is he?" Dimitri asks for confirmation. When Alberta shakes her head, Dimitri becomes pensive. Why wouldn't they kill a beast?

"They are attempting to get information on how to kill you out of him." Alberta says as she seems to read Dimitri's worries.

"Why did you not rescue him?" He shakes his head exasperated as a plan of rescue begins to form in his head.

"He ordered us not to do so."

Dimitri snorts. "So you listen to him but not me?" He chuckles humorlessly. "I ordered you not to attempt to rescue me, and yet you attacked every damn time I was transported from one lord to another." He shakes his head.

"It is our fear of losing you," Alberta shakes her head as well. "You cannot get that through your thick skull."

"Why cannot you get it through yours that I must die? I want this! As a bonus, you all will recover your damn humanity!" Dimitri shouts his voice echoing through the suddenly silent cave. All his wolves have gone quiet feeling the rising temper of their alpha.

"At what cost, Dimka?" Alberta whispers though her voice also echoes in the still darkness. "You do not deserve this. We all know. Perhaps if you explain to Rhonda…"

"Enough!" Dimitri cuts his aunt off brusquely. "I will not beg! I will not beg. Now find Ivan and gather a group of thirty. We are paying the Dashkovs a visit."

Alberta takes a deep breath and leaves to do her alpha's bidding leaving him to brood and lament his fate. Once she is gone, Dimitri sits in a corner and closes his eyes briefly relishing the quiet and peace. Alberta always manages to make him lose it with her plans of begging Rhonda to reconsider the curse. What she doesn't know is that Dimitri has already begged. He explained his reasons behind his actions, but Rhonda wouldn't have any of it. She claims there were other ways, and the reasons did not justify the end and the loss of Dimitri's humanity. But she doesn't understand. No one does. All they see and saw is an illusion of what truly lies behind the beast. However, over the years Dimitri has begun to see himself like everyone does: as a beast.

"_I do not think you are a beast," _Red told him once. _"You turn into a wolf and kill people, yes, but I think it is more of a choice right? Right now you are choosing to be human like me." _

Of course today, Red does not think that anymore. She finally saw him for what he truly is and there's no going back. Once again the feeling of her skin against his makes him question whether the façade of ruthless huntress is only that a façade and a delusion constructed by her as a way to protect herself from the world. In some ways, Rose is like him. Dimitri lets people believe he is a monster, even if he sometimes hates it, because it keeps them away. The walls around him keep him safe from betrayal and hurting anyone. If people were to know the type of contact Rose had with Dimitri, they would condemn her. Dimitri opens his eyes as the realization hits him that not everything is lost. First though, he has to get Mason out. Ivan shows up then with thirty of the strongest wolves.

"Are we tearing up the Dashkovs household?" Ivan asks too excitedly.

"Yes, yes we are." Dimitri replies as he removes sets out of the cave.

The trip to Serbia took Adrian until dawn. He traveled with only two other Guardians as he wasn't much too concerned about being attacked by Dimitri and his beasts. The paw prints lead to Bulgaria perhaps in the direction of Romania, so Adrian wasn't much too concerned with his safety. He is more concerned with the safety of his Little Huntress who is heading to Romania to warn the Dragomirs, and Christian who is heading home to Bulgaria and then Moscow. Adrian believes that he is the least one of being in danger. However he is very wrong as Dimitri watched from afar as Adrian introduced himself to the Guardians at the gate of the Dashkovs household. Seeing the arrogant son of a bitch in his target village pleased Dimitri greatly. Finally Dimitri will get the chance to get the drunkard out of the way. However, Dimitri was curious as to what Adrian is doing in Belgrade, so he ordered his wolves to stay down while he found out the reason for the visit.

Sneaking through the back walls was entirely too easy for Dimitri even with three Guardians patrolling it. He stole a cloak from a maid washing clothes by the river and hid his face from the crowd. Like Dimitri expected, Adrian is treated like a king receiving a bath by two damsels and very fine clothing. After the bath and a meal, Ivashkov retires to bed for a while, but in the afternoon, Lord Viktor Dashkov finally meets with his guest alone in his grand dining hall. Dimitri hides in an empty room close enough to the hall to hear what the two men are talking about.

"I hope you enjoyed the damsels company and services," Dashkovs snickers as his lips touch the cup of wine.

"Very," Adrian smiles politely. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Dashkov."

"It is always a pleasure to have you in my household Lord Ivashkov," if there is anything Viktor is good at is flattery this Adrian and Dimitri know. "Though I must say you and Lady Tatiana do not visit enough."

"Ah yes," Adrian tries to hide his smirk with his own cup. "It is a pity that the beasts do not allow us to travel as much."

Viktor nods as he takes a bite out his food. "Very pitiful. Of course Lady Mazur has accomplished her deed has she not?"

"That is why I have come to see you Lord Dashkov," Adrian sets his cup down and clears his throat. "Rose has not…"

"I knew it!" Viktor throws his head back and laughs. "I knew she would not be woman enough to please a man of your magnitude. Lord Ivashkov my offer still stands." He leans forward and continues speaking more fervently. "Natalie will make a far better match."

Adrian stares at Viktor for a while unable to comprehend how Viktor changed the direction of the conversation. As he catches on to his meaning, Adrian fists his hands under the table while he keeps a pleasant and polite smile on his lips. As the leader of the thirteen lords, Adrian cannot afford to cause a drift between them and insulting Dashkov will simply not do. Of course Dashkov has no right to insult Rose so by calling her less of a woman than his whore of a daughter Natalie. However, Adrian must stay calm and deal with the situation with the outmost politeness and diplomacy.

"Tempting offer Lord Dashkov," Adrian nods and takes a sip of his wine. "However, Rose is the only woman I shall ever want."

Dashkov raises his eyebrows at Adrian. "So you have been, huh, intimate."

"No sir," Adrian says a little too forcefully and indignant. "Rose Mazur is a lady and my future wife."

"My apologies Lord Ivashkov," Viktor quickly amends with a nervous chuckle as he finally realizes he has crossed a line. Both gentlemen remain in silence for a couple of seconds. "However, Natalie will be more than happy to keep you company until Rose puts out."

Adrian sighs and gives Dashkov a tight smile and a nod. "Generous offer. I do not think it will be necessary. Now, the reason I came to see you is to inform you that Dimitri Belikov has escaped."

Viktor begins to choke on the meat he was just chewing. He quickly spits out the food and takes a drink. Once he is calm, he stares at Adrian disbelieving. No matter how many times Viktor puts Rose down, he secretly hoped that she would be the one to kill the beast. She was their last hope but they have been wrong.

"She attempted to eliminate the beast," Adrian quickly defends the honor of his lady as he can see disappointment in Dashkov's face. "As you probably saw when the beast was in your household, he cannot be killed. He kept coming back to life, and just last night, he escaped. A horde of werewolves destroyed the Mazur household."

"Enough Lord Ivashkov," Viktor sighs and shakes his head stroking his chin as he does so. "I did see it with my own eyes. That man is Satan himself." He sighs once again. "Well, at least we still have that mutt. Perhaps he can leads us to the beast."

At the mention of a mutt, Adrian's interest is piqued while Dimitri freezes in place. "What mutt?"

"Oh we captured Belikov's second in command three months ago," Viktor explains nonchalantly though clearly proud to hold the only hope left to finding Dimitri. "We have been questioning him on how to kill his leader, but the mutt is stubborn and will not speak."

"And you have kept this to yourself all this time?" Adrian asks rising his left eyebrow and suddenly wanting to punch the older man repeatedly.

"We figured Rose…"

"I wish to see the prisoner," Adrian demands as he rises from his chair. "Immediately, Lord Dashkov."

"Of course, of course," Viktor rises hastily as well and rushes out of the room with Adrian following closely behind.

Dimitri, though, is ahead of them. He is already shifted into wolf and is opening his mouth to call his wolves into battle. Throughout the conversation, Dimitri wanted nothing more than to rip both men apart for speaking of Rose as if she is nothing but a piece of meat. However Dashkov's mention of Mason to Adrian did not suit Dimitri. He cannot risk Adrian speaking to Mason even though Dimitri knows that Mason will never say anything. On the other hand, Dimitri does not want to wait anymore. He wants to rip Adrian to pieces. His howling resonates through the castle stopping Adrian and Dashkov halfway down the stairs to the dungeons. Adrian pulls his sword out as does Viktor. As the screaming commences above, Dimitri appears at the top of the stairs and briefly makes eye contact with Adrian's green emeralds. Dashkov begins to pray while Adrian, giving out a battle cry, runs towards Dimitri who is inwardly smiling and savoring his blood.


	10. Memories

**AN: Sorry for the delay! Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows! (: To the guest who suggested I not use dick/ass, thank you for the suggestion! However, I have no idea how to sound more medieval. I did try to think of alternatives but came up with nothing. And wow, most of you don't like Adrian much, huh? Lol. Ok lemme shut up. **

* * *

Rose waves goodbye to Eddie from the front gates of the Dragomir household in Bucharest, Romania while he continues on to warn the Zeklos and Contas in Alexandria about the escape of the beast. Once Eddie becomes nothing more than a speck in the distance, Rose lets the Guardians lead her through town towards Lord Eric Dragomir's castle. The sky is lit up by rich warm colors; it is barely dawn and the town is dead asleep except, of course, for the Guardians on duty. Usually, Rose knows, the Guardians are somber and alert, but today they seem more relaxed enough to crack jokes at Dimitri's expense. It is then that Rose realizes that the Guardians must think she is here to deliver good news.

"I hope you cut off his penis, Lady Mazur," one of the Guardians cackles as he leads Rose's horse away.

"Better yet, I hope you will keep it as a trophy, milady!" Another shouts as Rose and two other Guardians climb up the steps.

Rose sighs annoyed at their banter but says nothing otherwise. She is not annoyed at the way they talk to her; she is the only lady who is friendly with the Guardians. However, she is annoyed that they have so much faith in her, and she has failed them. How will she explain that she, Rosemarie Mazur deadly huntress, could not kill the beast? And better yet, how will she tell them that she let him escape? Life is a bitch, Rose concludes silently as the Guardians take her to see Lord Dragomir who has the custom to rise before sunrise to pray.

The Guardians leave Rose at the entrance of the church and, after a smile and a wave, they leave her alone with Eric. Lord Dragomir is a tall gentleman in his late thirties with platinum hair and bright jade green eyes. Taking a deep breath, Rose approaches Eric, who is kneeling at the altar head bent forward and whispering fast in Romanian. Unsure of what to do, Rose sits in one of the pews at the front and waits patiently for Eric to be finished. As she waits, she stares up at a sculpture of God, or what people believe God looks like, and wonders once again if he really is up there and if he appreciates the work of the crusaders. The huntress is not very religious, and in a time of religious persecution, that is a very dangerous thing to be. But the pain of losing her mother and the existence of the beasts has left Rose with doubts of God's existence. How can God let the beasts roam freely slaughtering and breaking families apart? How can God let so much pain and death exist?

"Would you like to join me?" Eric asks quietly interrupting Rose's morbid and blasphemous thoughts.

"Thank you but I will wait for you to be done, Lord Dragomir." Rose smiles sheepishly at the man who is like another father to her.

Eric, who knew Rose's answer even before she said opened her mouth, chuckles quietly, then returns to his praying for a moment longer. After a while, he crosses himself and stands up grunting at the pain on his left knee; hearing him make that sound, Rose stands up and rushes forward to help Eric sit next to her. He smiles gratefully and takes a sit on the pew patting the spot next to him for Rose.

"Cursed battle wounds," he shakes his head as he rubs the knee where an opponent wounded him not long ago in the fourth crusade as he fought against the crusaders invading Egypt. "Our only consolation is that we won the battle, at least for now."

"We cannot win all battles," Rose mutters darkly looking down at her interlaced hands and thinking of her deep and shameful loss against the beast.

"But we try." Eric smiles patiently at Rose. "And that is what counts not only to the innocent but also to God. He is watching; He knows what is in your heart, Rose."

Uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, Rose squirms in her seat and with a deep sigh confesses to Eric her failure. She begins at the beginning when she kept cutting the beast's limbs over and over, but the dark magic kept bringing him back to life. Eric purses his lips and listens intently even though he has already seen with his own eyes what happens when the Hunters attempt to kill the beast. Leaving out the part where she and Adrian fool around, Rose recounts how the beasts took them all by surprise just before the sun set. Also leaving out the part where she wished to touch Dimitri, Rose explains that Dimitri had her cornered, but he ran when Adrian came to the rescue.

They sit in silence. Eric silently praying to God that the beast is soon destroyed, and Rose silently wondering if God will punish her for the lies she has just said. Shaking away those thoughts, Rose turns to Eric awaiting his condemnation to the Mazur family. If it comes, Rose can only hope she gets to at least say goodbye to Lissa. To her surprise, Eric grabs her hands and squeezes them gently but also reassuringly. When she looks up at him, he is smiling down at her and his eyes hold no disappointment or judgment.

"We shall find him one day," he rises to his feet and pulls Rose along with him. "God helped us once, he shall help us again."

"The Dragomirs are not turning their back on us?" Rose asks timidly as both of them head out of the church.

"Lord Ivashkov is entirely too paranoid," Eric chuckles as he interlaces Rose's left hand through his right arm. "He is the one who said we would all turn our backs on you, correct?"

Rose nods sheepishly and silently curses Adrian's paranoia and for contaminating her with it as well. Then again Rose understands Adrian is merely trying to protect her and the Mazur reputation. The Ivashkovs, being the largest family, hold the title of leaders among the thirteen lords. Whatever the Ivashkovs dictate will be carried out. There are some families who will take advantage of any situation to replace the Ivashkovs with their own. And that is what concerns Rose more than anything. If Adrian associates with the Mazurs, especially after the humiliating defeat, the Ivashkovs could lose their power and influence, as if Tatiana needed another reason to hate Rose.

"Do not worry," Eric squeezes Rose's hand to provide some comfort as he can see she is worried about the outcome of Dimitri's escape. He can feel her body stiff next to his, her forehead is crinkled with a deep frown, her brown eyes are troubled and tired, and her constant chewing on her bottom lip are clear signs that Rose is troubled. "We must be united during these dark times. The last thing the lords want is yet another division among us."

"I suppose," Rose concedes and tries to give Eric a reassuring smile that she's all right. "I wonder if I can say hello to Lissa before heading to Moldova." She decides to change the conversation plus she does want to see her friend and possibly talk.

"Oh my dear," Eric chuckles and motions a servant girl forward. "Mia, please tell my son Andre that I request his presence in my study."

"Yes, my lord." Mia nods and curtsies in Rose's direction before heading to find Andre.

"Andre will speak to the Badicas. You need to rest, and Lissa will be more than delighted to…"

"ROSE!" Lissa's excited voice carries throughout the castle.

Lady Vasilisa hoists her silk green dress over her ankles in order to run faster towards Rose and her father right ahead of her. Eric and Rose share a look and an amused smile before Lissa has her arms around her best friend. Hugging her back, Rose can't help the giggle that escapes her lips as Lissa squeals delighted. The girls break apart to look at each other and smile widely. Since Abe and Eric fought their fair share of beasts in their youth, both men expected their daughters to be friends. At first that had not been the case. Rose's first impression of Lissa was that the green eyed girl was a bit obnoxious and entirely too happy. However during one of those rare and rather hated visits to the Dragomirs, Rose threw rocks at a couple of boys who were teasing Lissa for her rather long and difficult name. As always, Rose's need to protect and help those in need kicked in. Since then, Rose and Lissa became inseparable.

"I have missed you!" Lissa squeals once again throwing her arms around Rose.

"I have missed you as well," Rose pulls away and frowns at Lissa. "How did you know…"

"You were here?" Lissa finishes Rose's sentence and blushes a little. For a moment, Lissa stutters something unintelligible before finally finding her words. "I heard the Guardians. We have much to talk about! May I steal Huntress Mazur away from you father?"

"By all means," Eric chuckles and turns to Rose. "I will take care of the rest milady. Andre will leave immediately to Moldova. Ladies, enjoy your day." With a bow, Eric walks away to meet with his only and eldest son.

"Why does Andre have to go to Moldova?" Lissa asks Rose as the ladies, arms interlaced, climb up the steps to Lissa's tower.

"It is a rather long story," Rose sighs and continues on to tell Lissa everything she just told Eric. This time, Rose does not hide anything from Lissa. When Rose gets to the part where Dimitri wanted her to touch him, Lissa gasps making Rose feel all the more worst. "He is back for me, Liss."

Of course Rose's last words scare Lissa to death. Why would Dimitri want Rose? Have Dimitri and Rose even met before? Several questions rise to Lissa's mind, but she holds them back knowing Rose will eventually tell her. Deep in her mind, Lissa can't help wonder exactly how many things Rose has kept to herself. In fact, why are there secrets between them? They have been like sisters. Would Christian know what lurks deep inside Rose's heart? Christian and Rose have been friends longer than Rose and Lissa have. The Ozera's household was once destroyed beyond repair, so Abe extended out his hand to Christian's family. Back then, Christian's mother was pregnant with him, and so had been Janine with Rose. Both Christian and Rose soon were born on the same day. Wouldn't Rose at least trust him? Perhaps Rose's secrets are dark and sinister.

And they are. Knowing Lissa is waiting for an explanation, Rose rolls over on the bed where both girls have been laying on all morning. Propping herself up on her elbows, Rose looks at her best friend pleading with her eyes to not judge her or run away screaming after she hears a story that no one knows. Seeing and feeling Rose's preoccupation, Lissa smiles reassuringly at Rose. That simple small smile is all Rose needs to encourage her. She begins with that afternoon when, as always, Rose was hiding from Kirova.

_"Rosemarie!" Kirova shouted from the gates with her hands on her hips. "Rosemarie! You have lessons to attend!" The Guardians posted at the entrance chuckled, for they had seen Rose run outside earlier. _

_ No one dared to stop the young girl from going where she pleased. They would find a fist in their mouths or private area if they attempted to do so. Rose was a free spirit roaming outside the walls always returning before sunset of course. She could hear Kirova huffing and screaming angrily, but Rose didn't care. She was softly singing to herself a Turkish lullaby her mother sung to her every night and kicking the snow around. After walking for a while, Rose lowered herself onto the ground and closed her eyes still humming and smiling. She began to move her arms up and down and her legs sideways making what Abe called snow angels. _

_ Rose could feel her flimsy red dress get wet from the snow, but she didn't want to move. The forest was peaceful and entirely too quiet. These moments were rare, Rose knew, and they should be enjoyed while they lasted. They should be enjoyed before night comes and the sound of howling and screams break the night. Unexpectedly, the loud sound of a branch breaking and something hitting the ground startle Rose. Like a cat, she jumps to her feet and rushes to hide behind a thick trunk. Barely peeking from behind the tree, she could see a tall broad man with long hair tied at his nape. She watched as he rose to his feet and looked around his eyes showing disappointment. As he turned to leave, Rose became bold and spoke to the stranger. _

"I asked him if he was all right," Rose tells Lissa whose eyes are wide with surprise as she learns that indeed Rose and Dimitri met before. "He said he was and gave me the nickname of Red," unaware of it, Rose smiles briefly. "He also saw me shivering and gave me his duster. The Guardians called the people inside right then, so I ran home."

"Did you know who he was?" Lissa asks quietly. "Did you tell your father?"

With a sigh, Rose rises from the bed and sits by the window. She looks below at the puny servants moving around going about their business. "I did not know who he was. Not when I met him. Until one night, I was bringing Baba some wine…"

_Rose loved serving her father. He would send her to give a letter to Stan or fetch him something to eat. After she finished her task, he would give her a brilliant and loving smile plus a kiss on her forehead. That night, she carried a golden goblet filled with wine. She knocked timidly on the iron door to his father's library. _

_ "Enter," Abe called out and upon seeing his thirteen year old princess carry a goblet of wine, he smiled appreciatively. He set the papers he held in his hands on the desk and took the goblet from Rose's small hands. "Thank you my dear." He kissed her forehead and sat back down on his chair. _

_ "You are welcome, Daddy." Rose gave him a smile. "What are you doing?" _

_ He sighed and set the goblet down on his desk. "Come here." He helped Rose sit on his lap and picked up the drawing he just received of Dimitri Belikov, wanted murderer and werewolf leader. "This man," Abe began unaware of Rose's reaction. "He is a bad man, Rose. He is the one who created the beasts. No one had been able to say what he looks like for sure until now. Now we know who to look for." He set the parchment down and drank the rest of the wine. "Off to bed, Rose."_

_ As she was leaving, Rose stopped at the door and turned to her father who was once again staring at the drawing. "Baba?" _

_ "Yes?" He didn't even look up from his desk. If he had, he would have seen Rose biting her lower lip clearly troubled by something. If he had, maybe Rose would have told him that Dimitri Belikov lurked outside the Mazur walls, and Rose had been seeing him for over a week. _

"I said goodnight," Rose runs her hands through her hair. "I know what you are thinking. I should have told him, but in that week, he never attempted to hurt me, Liss. Never. He was gentle to me. I never would have suspected who he was."

Lissa bites her lips and sits up on the bed. "You never asked him before who he was?"

"No," Rose laughs bitterly. "I was a fool. We thought it would be 'fun' to remain anonymous. After our first meeting, he did not ask me my name again. He called me Red, and I called him Comrade. I do not know why." She shrugs. "Seemed appropriate."

"You two kept meeting even after you learned who he was?" Silently, Lissa prays that Rose ended all contact with the beast as soon as she learned who the man was.

Rose nods and closes her eyes as the images assault her. _The morning after finding out who the man was, she ran out to meet him like she had been doing for the past week. Their stolen moments were what she looked forward to the most. He always asked her about her day when she wasn't with him. He taught her a couple of defense moves that she could use on the Guardians who tried to stop her from going out so much. She had attempted several times to learn of his past, but he always turned somber, and she made jokes to make him laugh. However, after prying about his past, he would be quiet and detached. Now Rose knew why._

_As she headed to meet him, Rose wondered why she didn't just tell her father about him. What if Dimitri attacked her home? Granted there had been no attacks in a week which was odd. Was he keeping the wolves at bay? Was he saving the Mazur household for himself? Still, Rose wanted to know why Dimitri did what he did. She wanted to give him a chance to defend himself. _

"_You are one of them!" Rose shouted upon seeing Dimitri. The smile on his lips, which appeared as soon as he saw her, quickly slipped away and his eyes widened. _

"_How did you find out?" He sighed and slumped on the ground. There was no reason to hide his identity anymore. She knew. He could see the fear in her eyes and hearing it in her heart. _

"_Last night, I saw a drawing of you. The lords are offering money for your capture and death." Rose could feel her eyes burning with the unshed tears. She felt betrayed and lied to. Granted, she never did ask who he was, and she was foolish enough to go along with his game of remaining anonymous. "You kill people. Why?" She whispered. _

_Closing his eyes and resting his head against the tree trunk, Dimitri sighed. "I am a beast. It is what beasts do."_

_Biting down on her lower lip, Rose kneeled in front of him and grasped his hands. "I do not think you are a beast." He opened his eyes at her words and frowned. "You turn into a wolf and kill people, yes, but I think it is more of a choice right? Right now you are choosing to be human like me." _

_He had merely stared at her with eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Dimitri wondered then if perhaps the girl already cared for him. For the past week, she would bring him food and clothes. She made him feel somewhat normal, somewhat human. Right then, as she held his hand, he felt a strange feeling, like hope, surge deep inside him. It was her. His Beauty. _

"_I cannot be human," he whispered back and unable to hold himself, he took a loose strand of her hair between his fingers. It felt just like he suspected: like silk. Turning his eyes back to hers, he set his plan in motion. "Not without you, Red. I need you. Will you help me?" _

"_Me? Help you?" Rose had stopped breathing when he touched her hair. Her heart, which was beating wildly, felt like it would explode at hearing him say he needed her. She wanted to help. She wanted him to be happy. In a week, Rose picked up on a deep sadness that weighted Dimitri down. She could see it in his eyes but when she told him stories of herself, he would change. He would laugh. God she loved his laugh. It was rich and deep and his eyes lit up the world. If she could help him, she would. "How?"_

"_Come away with me," Dimitri whispered fervently. "Run away with me, Red. I need you."_

_His words scared Rose half to death. She shook her head and walked away from him. Later that night, she tossed and turned in bed unable to stop thinking about his words. How could she help him? How could she running away with him help him not be a werewolf anymore? Could she run away with him? She was only thirteen! He was a beast and much, much older than her. He could be her father! What did he want from her? She swore to find out what. _

_The next day she returned, and, thankfully, he was still around. He stood stoically under the tree they met; he stared at her with his arms over his chest. When Rose sat crossed legged at his feet, he raised his left eyebrow in question. _

"_That is incredible," Rose pointed at his arched eyebrow. "However do you do it? Will you teach me?"_

_He smiled and nodded. The rest of the day, he tried to teach her how to arch her own eyebrow. By the time she had to run back home, Rose could still not manage to raise her eyebrow, and she had forgotten to ask him why he picked her. Why was she so important and how could she help him? As always, he walked her close to the gates but before she left, he pulled her back. _

"_Will you do it?" He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her right ear and looked into her eyes showing her the depth of his desperation to have her with him. _

"_Why me?" She finally asked. _

"_Because you care for me, do you not?" Rose could hear the hope in his voice._

_She nodded. "You seem really sad. I want to help, but I do not know you. I do not know how I can help you not kill people. Will you tell me?" _

"_You will learn it on your own. All you have to do is say you will come away with me." _

"_I will think about it," Rose walked a couple of feet away from him then turned around. She motioned for him to lean forward, and, surprised, Dimitri did so. She brushed her lips against his cheek and whispered goodnight. _

"You said no, correct?" Lissa sits at Rose's feet by the window as she keeps looking at the darkening sky. "That is why he attacked your household."

Rose shakes her head. "That night, crusaders invaded our home. Rogue werewolves were among their ranks." She looks down at her hands and continues as she feels the shame of her next words. "Previous to the attack, I was going to see him and give him my answer." A tear rolls down her left cheek. "I was going to run away with him."

"Oh Rose," Lissa sits up and hugs her. "That would have been very foolish, but I can hear how much you care for him."

"I used to," Rose hisses angrily and stands up pushing Lissa away. "I used to, and you are correct, I was foolish. I was foolish enough to think of running away with him! I thought I could save him, but he does not deserve saving." Angrily, she wipes her nose and cheeks with the back of her hand. "I tried to kill him."

"_I hate you!" Rose shrieked at Dimitri. After witnessing the burning of her mother, Rose stole her father's sword and raced to the forest where she knew Dimitri would be. _

"_Red, I did not…" Dimitri tried to explain to he did not participate in the slaughter. He had been driven almost insane as he heard the screams and smelled the blood, but he still fought the urge to kill. If he killed, Red would be upset. She brought the humane inside him to the surface, but all that was gone because she hated him._

"_Silence!" Rose tried rising the sword, but it was much too heavy for her age. "I do not want to hear you. I do not want to see you. I am going to kill you." Once again, Rose tried to raise the sword, and to her surprise, Dimitri fell to his knees. He crawled towards her as if giving her permission to kill him as he hung his head forward giving her easier access to his head. But as much as she wanted to kill him right then and there, Rose could not bring herself to do it. She was frozen with despair, sadness, betrayal and hatred. "One day," she dropped the sword letting it fall in front of Dimitri. "I swear to kill you."_

Lissa and Rose remain silent after Rose finishes her story. All of it has shaken Lissa to her core. She doesn't know what is more shocking that her friend knew the beast, cared for him, and even contemplated running away with him.

"Did you tell him you would run away with him?" Lissa asks as Rose paces the room.

She shakes her head. "Thankfully. The alarms sounded before I left the walls; I was taken inside by Kirova."

Lissa bites her lip unsure whether she should ask her next question. In the end, she decides to ask. "Does Adrian know?"

"Of course not," Rose gasps and sits next to Lissa. Her next words are said in a hurry and thick with desperation. "No one knows. Only you, him, and me. No one else can know. Promise you…"

"Never." Lissa hugs her tight then pulling away looks into Rose's eyes. "I will never tell a soul. I swear. Thank you for trusting me and I am sorry you lived this."

Finally telling someone, especially Lissa, lifts a heavy weight off Rose's shoulders. Maybe now that Lissa knows, Rose can have some sort of help to figuring out how she can kill Dimitri. With Lissa by her side, maybe both of them can find out why Dimitri so desperately wanted Rose to run away with him. Why does he still seem obsessed with her? The same questions float around Lissa's mind as the girls stare off into nothing. Suddenly, an idea occurs to Lissa.

"You want to know how I really knew you were here?" She turns to Rose practically bouncing with excitement.

"You said…" Rose frowns and narrows her eyes at her friend. "What are you hiding Liss?"

"I did not want to say anything in front of father," she rolls her eyes. "You know how he is extremely religious especially after mom and Jill…" She pauses as the sadness takes over her, but before Rose can comfort her, Lissa clears her throat and continues. "I saw a witch the other night, and she read my future. She said Christian and I will get married!"

Rose stares at Lissa, whose eyes are bright with happiness and wonder, for a while. Suddenly, Rose bursts into laughter which does not pleases Lissa at all as she can feel Rose is laughing at her. Throwing a cushion at her laughing friend, Lissa pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. Unable to control her laughter, Rose continues to laugh until her stomach hurts. Finally, when the laughter dies down, Rose turns worriedly to Lissa.

"Do not meddle with witchcraft, Liss. It is dangerous." Rose reprimands a pouting Lissa.

"You are a hypocrite," Lissa mumbles. "You mentioned talking to your father's sister, who is a witch."

Recalling her words to Adrian from the previous day, Rose remembers that indeed she considered speaking to a witch about possible counter curses to eliminate Dimitri. She wishes she had never mentioned it to Lissa earlier.

"I am not actually going to do it," Rose rolls her eyes and removes her shoes to get ready for bed. She has not rested at all since the fight of the previous night and the voyage plus the trip down memory lane have left Rose drained. "Meddling with witches could get you in trouble. Besides everything they say is rubbish. Of course you will marry Christian."

Lissa doesn't say anything for a while as she keeps pouting that Rose doesn't realize what an opportunity they have. Seeing a witch might actually help them kill Dimitri. The witch could read their future to see if Dimitri actually dies and maybe give them a way to kill him.

"Fine," Lissa mumbles in the end. "But she predicted your visit to Romania and the reason behind it."

Rose stops halfway to taking her dress off and stares at Lissa as if she has grown a third eye or a second head. "What?"

Lissa nods fervently. "She told me you were coming to deliver bad news. Oh and this is the incredible part, I saw the witch four days ago." She practically squeals with excitement when she sees Rose's eyes widen.

Unable to believe the prediction, Rose gasps. What are the chances that magic and witchcraft are actually accurate? Very likely, Rose knows, for she has seen what happens when hunters attempt to kill Belikov. He should not come back to life, yet he does. Perhaps witchcraft is the solution. The question is, will Rose use it? Does she have the guts to meddle with witchcraft?

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**Who do you think this witch is? Will Rose and Lissa go see the witch? What did you think about the past between Rose and Dimitri? Dun, dun, dun!**


	11. Witches and Wards

**AN: As always, sorry for the delay and thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows! Just got one thing to say: I know y'all want Dimitri and Rose action and so do I! But all in good time ;) Please bear with me as we move through the story; I will try so hard to make it worth it :)**

The slaughter of the Dashkov household took less time than Dimitri expected. Of course it helps that the Dashkovs are incompetent fools, so there is no loss to their near extinction after tonight. Dimitri smiles satisfied and rubs his hands trying to get rid of the dry blood. He stares off into the distance through the vegetation at the sleeping Dragomir household in Bucharest, Romania. The moon is still high in the sky signaling the middle of the night. After recovering Mason from Serbia, Dimitri ordered two of his wolves to lead the newly recruited back to Alberta outside Bulgaria. They have orders to meet Dimitri tomorrow in Codrii Vlăsiei, near Bucharest. Tonight, he meets with the witch.

Rhonda should still be living in the Dragomir household. Almost two hundred years ago have passed since Dimitri last saw Rhonda. Back then he begged then demanded she break his curse. Of course she refused and instead granted him the "gift," as she called it, of reading his fortune. It was then that Dimitri learned of his salvation. It was then that Dimitri learned of the existence of his beauty. Now, as he glares at the seemingly sleeping and peaceful Dragomir household, Dimitri knows Rhonda fooled him. She lied about the beauty freeing the beast. Rose was supposed to finally end his life; she was supposed to love him, but she loves Ivashkov.

Dimitri chuckles at that last thought. After tonight Rose will have no option but to forget Adrian. That fool Ivashkov was no match for Dimitri. Recalling the earlier events at the Dashkov household, Dimitri can only laugh at Adrian's stupidity for attacking the alpha. Adrian had clumsily, and unsuccessfully, tried to cut Dimitri's head off and pierce him with the sword several times. But a single shove with Dimitri's massive werewolf body sent Adrian flying across the hall where he slumped on the ground unmoving and bleeding from a head wound. After taking care of Ivashkov, Dimitri ripped Viktor apart and rushed to free Mason from his prison while his wolves, which had been waiting impatiently, took care of everyone else.

Ivan's footsteps bring Dimitri back to the present. Dropping the prisoner at Dimitri's feet, Ivan stretches and yawns while his alpha glares down at the man they brought along. With the toe of his shoe, Dimitri kicks the prisoner making him moan. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how one looks at it, Adrian Ivashkov did not die from the blow to his head. He is unconscious due to the blood loss and blow to the head. No one bothered to chain the man up because he's unarmed and surrounded by werewolves; Adrian is no threat. Dimitri didn't want to leave him alive, and he almost killed him until the idea of Adrian being useful in the future struck him. Perhaps he will simply torture Adrian just for the fun of it. With a sigh, Dimitri returns to staring at Eric's domain and the Guardians walking along the gate and walls.

"Why are we dragging Ivashkov along?" Ivan pries quietly and gently hoping not to anger Dimitri. "He is dragging us down. We could have been here two hours ago."

"I do not know," Dimitri shrugs. "I have a feeling he will be useful. Is Mason all right?"

"Yes," Ivan looks over his right shoulder and smirks at Mason still in his wolf form eating like a starved man, or wolf, which he is. "He is enjoying Natalie Dashkov."

"Good," Dimitri nods without taking his eyes off the walls. "How is his neck?" While the spiked silver collars do not affect Dimitri much, to his wolves it causes an unbearable rash, which usually causes the person to scratch to the point of breaking skin, while the silver slowly and painfully kills them.

"Healing," Ivan replies. His smirk quickly fades away as he wonders when they all started to enjoy human flesh. With a shake of his head, Ivan recalls that is part of the curse. With every life they take, their humanity dies as well. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ivan inspects Dimitri and silently prays, like he always does, that his friend finds the rest he seeks not for their sakes but for Dimitri's. "Are we waiting for Alberta?"

"No," Dimitri rises to his feet. "You, Mason, our prisoner and the others stay out here, hidden and alert. I need an audience with the witch."

With those words and before Ivan can protest, Dimitri adeptly climbs a tree and jumps from branch to branch towards the Dragomir household. Perched up high, he searches a desolate spot along the Dragomir walls. The Guardians seem extremely alert which can only mean that the news of his escape have reached Romania. With a chuckle, Dimitri jumps the distance between the tree and the wall, about twenty feet. The Guardians don't even notice the shadow that moves over the roofs silently and rapidly through the sleeping part of town. On the farthest side of Eric's domain, several houses are used as whorehouses and pubs. That is where Rhonda hides. She lives among the sinners and the damned. Fitting, Dimitri thinks. As a witch, Rhonda is the epitome of sin and damnation just like Dimitri.

He shakes his head trying to focus on his task ahead. Soon, Dimitri climbs off the roofs when he hears the laughter, music and clatter of goblets being passed around just ahead. In an alley, he stands still and listens to the sounds of the night. Booming drunken voices are heard over the hypnotizing sound of drums and flutes. The shrill giggles and moaning sounds of the whores are intermingled with the sound of wine being poured on goblets. But there's no sign of Rhonda's voice. Perhaps she is gone, moved on to another town; perhaps Dimitri can't focus over the sound of a hundred beating hearts and the blood flowing through their veins. The wolf inside him is clawing at the walls demanding release and the opportunity to run into that whorehouse and slaughter everyone.

He can feel the change coming on. His ribs slowly begin to multiply, his fingers enlarge growing nails as long as an inch an half, his face is growing hair…

"Liss!" A voice he knows anywhere and everywhere snaps Dimitri out of his inner struggle against the beast. "I do not think this is a wise idea."

"Relax Rose," another female voice, which Dimitri does not recognize, hisses back. "No one will recognize us."

Their hurried steps seem to move towards Dimitri, so he quickly sits on the filthy ground with his head on his knees to hide his face, which is still caught between that of a man and a wolf. The ladies' footsteps stop in front of him and Dimitri is sure they have discovered him, but they barely pay attention to the man. They wonder if he's asleep or dead, either way he won't know them, and Rose is armed just in case.

"Lissa," Rose whispers moving closer to her best friend. "I have changed my mind… I do not…"

"Coward," Lissa gives Rose a sly smile knowing that Rose does not tolerate being called a coward.

"I am not a coward," Rose hisses as she narrows her eyes on Lissa knowing full well what she is up to. Calling Rose a coward is how Lissa managed to finally convince Rose to see the witch in the first place.

"Exactly," Lissa grins triumphantly. "You are the most reckless of us, or at least you used to be…"

"Until my mother died," Rose mutters darkly.

She wants to finish the beast, and she had been contemplating resorting to witchcraft for a long time. Now that she is actually about to do it, Rose is not so sure she wants to get involved. Her heart is beating wildly in her chest and her instincts tell her to run away, to not see the witch. Her eyes move to the man sitting on the ground unmoving with his head on his knees, and Rose doesn't know why but seeing the man finally makes up her mind.

"You win, Liss."

"Great!" Lissa pulls out two coins from her pouch and throws them at the man's feet. "Bless you." Lissa says to Dimitri then she takes Rose's hand and together they hurry into the pub.

Dimitri slowly raises his head, which is now back to normal as is the rest of his internal organs, and stares off in the direction Rose left. The conversation between the ladies has left Dimitri puzzled as he cannot understand what Rose would be doing at a pub. He stands in the shadows watching as the hooded figures of Rose and Vasilisa Dragomir enter the pub after paying a small fare at the door. What is Rose thinking going into a place like that? Dimitri can only guess that perhaps she is being influenced by Lissa to drink and dance or perhaps sleep with a stranger in order to have fun. Intrigued, Dimitri decides to follow them but knowing it is risky to enter the pub because he will lose control, he climbs to the roof one house next to the pub and listens to what will unfold.

Inside, Rose wrinkles her nose at the smell of perspiration, urine, wine, rubbish and most of all the rotten breath of the bald men with round bellies. Their beady and lustful eyes follow the ladies' every movement to the bar. As they move, Rose stands taller keeping her chin high and gripping her sword hidden under her cloak tightly. Lissa is clearly unaffected by the dog whistling and disrespectful names muttered by the men. Lissa trusts Rose to take care of her if anyone tries to touch either of them. Thankfully no one dares to do more than goggle at Rose and Lissa, for there are easier pickings walking around seminude offering their services.

At the bar, another bald man with a round belly wearing a stained shirt cleans a goblet with a dirty rag. Lissa turns to give Rose a reassuring smile as she approaches the bar and clears her throat gently. The man behind the bar doesn't hear her and continues to clean the goblet going as far as spitting inside it. Rose shudders and winces at the sight while Lissa merely clears her throat again this time louder. Still, the man continues to ignore her.

"Excuse me!" Rose shouts louder than she intended drawing the attention of several men and, thankfully, the bartender.

He stops his cleaning and approaches the ladies rather grudgingly. "What?" He grunts.

Lissa smiles pleasantly and pulls out five gold coins from her pouch. "We wish to see the seer, please."

The bartender, upon seeing the coins, smiles showing off his three yellow and rotten teeth. He takes the coins and steps away from the bar and disappears through a door to the ladies' right. As they wait, Rose remains alert keeping Lissa close. Taking a look around, Rose is disgusted by the place with several men having sex with women right there in front of everybody. Others watch as several females dance on the tables while the men whistle and throw coins at their feet.

"Must she reside in this place?" Rose asks Lissa quietly.

Before Lissa can open her mouth, one of the most intoxicated men in the room appears behind Rose slapping her ass and whispering in her ear.

"Let me show you a good time," he laughs and the smell of his nauseating mouth would make Rose gag, but she is furious. No one touches her without her permission especially not a disgusting fat man like him.

She turns around; her eyes on fire. Like a cobra, she grabs the man's neck and squeezes tightly cutting off his air. "Do not touch me or my friend, or I will cut off your penis, understood?"

Unable to speak, the man merely nods as his eyes practically bulge out of his sockets. Satisfied, Rose shoves the man backwards causing him to fall on his fat ass. Those who had been watching laugh and turn back to their affairs while the man who attacked Rose sits on the ground glaring at the ladies.

"Someone will come fetch you soon," the bartender announces making both Rose and Lissa jump. "Anythin' else?"

"No thank you, good sir." Lissa, who now wants to run out of this place, pulls out two coins out of her pouch and hands them to the bartender. "For your troubles."

"Thank you pretty lady," the man takes the coins and quickly hides them his pocket. He once again takes the goblet he was cleaning earlier and narrows his eyes at Lissa and Rose. "Say, are you not Lady…"

"Say another word and I will cut off your tongue," Rose hisses as she leans across the bar. "Go clean that filthy goblet somewhere else."

The bartender frowns but does as he is told and goes to stand on the other side of the bar. Lissa giggles and pulls her hood tighter around her. "Rose, relax."

"Shut up, Liss." Rose whispers back as she too pulls her hood tighter. "This place is disgusting and that man just touched me." Both of them turn to glare at the man sitting nearby still watching them. "How did you come here all by yourself?"

"I did not," Lissa snorts. "I am not insane. Andre brought me."

"Why would Andre…" Rose shakes her head in disbelief and even shame for her friend's brother. There's only one reason a man would come to this place.

"He likes one of the girls," Lissa shrugs like it is no big deal then looks around as if searching for someone. "There." Rose turns to see whom Lissa is pointing at. "Her name is Mia."

The girl is gorgeous of course she has to be in order to gain Andre's attention. She does look a bit too young but pretty nonetheless with hair the color of gold, pale features, and bright blue eyes. Her eyes dart everywhere as she bends down to pick up several goblets that were knocked over by the dancing whores. With a rag, the wipes the wooden floor, gets up, and goes on her way disappearing behind a door at the other end of the room.

"How did Andre…"

"She works at our castle during the day," Lissa shakes her head sadly. "Poor girl lost her mother to the beasts and her father is a drunk who owes money to the bar owner. Andre comes here to make sure she is all right; he pays the bartender to keep the drunkards away from her. Last time, he also offered to pay the debt of her father, so Mia does not work here anymore. He wants to marry her, but she is too proud." Lissa finishes with another shake of her head.

While Rose does not care for riches like she used to when she was a child, a hunter marrying a wench, a peasant woman, is uncommon and unorthodox. Still, if there's love between the girl and Andre then by all means Rose hopes everything works out. The door behind them soon opens and out walks a young man the same age as Rose with chiseled arms, dark curly hair, and brown eyes. He gives the ladies a respectful bow and a nonthreatening smile.

"I apologize for the delay, my ladies." He steps aside letting them through. "Please, after you."

"Thank you," Lissa curtsies and pulls Rose along.

"My name is Ambrose," he says before shutting the door behind Rose and leaving them in complete silence. The silence unsettles Rose; shouldn't they hear the music, the laughter, the moaning sounds of the whores? Nothing. The corridor is eerily silent and dark.

"Pleasure to see you again Ambrose," Lissa replies contently while Rose still ponders what is going on. "This is Lady Rose Mazur." Rose hisses at Lissa. "Settle down, he will not divulge that we were here, correct Ambrose?"

"My lips are sealed, huntress." He bows to Rose then turns back to the door murmuring some words in Russian and Romanian. "Now, I shall lead the way. Please watch your step."

"How?" Rose retorts. "It is pitch-black."

Yet as soon as the words leave her mouth, torches along the walls light up showing off a strange, and rather creepy, corridor. Along the wooden walls are symbols written in what looks like blood. As they move, Rose groans inwardly wondering what Lissa has gotten them into.

"Here we are," Ambrose steps aside and lets Rose and Lissa through a curtain of beads.

The room is small with more strange symbols on the walls and dim lighted torches. There is a peculiar smell like cinnamon and dried roses. Along the walls are shelves with strange herbs and objects such as amulets and dolls. In the middle of the room is a small circular table and an older woman sits facing Rose and Lissa. The woman is too thin and looks like she might be a thousand years old, yet her brown eyes hold so much life, and they seem to gaze deep into Rose's heart. The witch's hands are on the table, and there's an all knowing smile on her lips. She says nothing and motions gently with her hands to the two chairs facing her across the table. Taking it as a sign to sit, Rose and Lissa share a look before sitting.

Still with the smile on her lips, the old lady extends her hand out to Ambrose, who hands her a lit match. Taking the match from his hands, and keeping eye contact with Rose, the witch begins to light up the candles on the center of the table. The witch lights the purple candle to her right first.

"For protection, to enhance my powers and the ancient wisdom." Rose expected the old lady to be able to barely speak, but her voice is loud and clear. Still keeping eye contact with Rose, the witch moves to her left lighting up the red candle. "Blood, lust, strength, passion, and love." Lastly, the witch lights up the white candle in the center of the others. "Balance, healing, truth, innocence, and peace."

Once the witch is done, she places her hands gently on her lap then turns to Ambrose. "Did you recite the spells?" Ambrose nods. She gently rises to her feet and walks over to the shelf behind her.

Rose, intrigued, leans to her left trying to see what the witch is doing. Is she preparing a potion? A spell? An amulet? Unable to hold her tongue anymore, Rose opens her mouth.

"The candles symbolize what I recited, and what you need." The witch responds before Rose can even formulate a sound. "And I am seeking this," the witch turns around showing a small dark blue velvet pouch. "Wolf bones." She says taking her seat again. "The spells are so we are not interrupted."

"How…" Rose frowns at the witch.

"I have been expecting you, Rosemarie," the witch replies with that sly smile. "Let us begin. The spell will not keep him away for long. My name is Yeva."

Dimitri goes into full panic mode upon hearing Yeva's name. His heart had begun to beat fast and loud in his chest when he heard Lissa ask to see the seer. At first Dimitri had shaken his head reasoning that perhaps there was another witch. However, hearing Ambrose's voice made Dimitri fall from the roof onto the cold ground. Immediately he shifted in order to attack the whorehouse, but there was some sort of spell keeping him at bay, like a ward designed to keep the beasts out.

Now Dimitri paces behind the whorehouse shaking his head and whining deep in his throat. Yeva is going to ruin everything. She will tell Rose everything and ruin his only chance at freedom. In frustration, Dimitri tries to bring down the back door, but once again he is thrown back by a force. He hits the concrete wall hard which dazes him a little leaving him lying on his belly and listening helplessly as Yeva damns him to eternally be a beast.


	12. Babushka

**AN: Sorry, I meant to update sooner, but I got distracted with the US election. Boy, that was entertaining! Anyway, thanks for the love! Let's find out what Yeva has up her sleeve…**

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Rose doesn't know what's more impressing the fact that the witch has been able to answer her questions before she even voiced them or that the witch knows her name. Her mind tries to rationalize what is happening around her. Surely many people have voiced the same questions Rose had a moment ago; the witch just knows how curious humans are. Secondly, of course upon looking at Rose, the witch would know who she is. Yes, that makes more sense than witchcraft and magic being real. As Yeva reaches into the pouch, Rose turns to Lissa.

"What are we doing here, Liss?" Rose whispers in Lissa's ear while they both eye Yeva curiously. "This is rubbish. She is stealing your money."

"Rose, you wanted to come see her," Lissa replies with a whisper of her own. "We are here. Now let us hear what Yeva has to say."

"I do not believe in this rubbish," Rose replies.

"If you did not believe in it, you would not be here," Yeva cuts the girls off sharply. "You have seen things, have you not?" The question is clearly directed at Rose. "You have seen magic do its duty."

Rose sits still trying to control her breathing. She refuses to believe that it's all real. Yet she has seen dark magic. Even though many hint at Dimitri's involvement with witchcraft, no one, except the hunters, the lords, and the Guardians know what really happens in the dungeons. They see the magic bring Dimitri back to life even after he has been mangled beyond recognition. No matter how much Rose tries to deny it, magic exists. Yeva is a witch, and even though Rose is suddenly terrified of meddling with witchcraft, the witch can help Rose defeat the beast once and for all.

Rose nods to Yeva, who finally pulls her hand out of the pouch and throws a fistful of small bones onto the table. They are all different shapes with marks of different colors. Rose turns to briefly look behind her. She sees Ambrose leaning against the wall with a sword in his hands, and she frowns at the sight of it wondering why he would need a sword. Then Rose remembers what the witch said _'the spell will not keep him away for long.'_

"Who is coming?" Rose asks turning to face Yeva.

Rose waits for the witch to answer her question, but Yeva says nothing as she stares at the bones scattered on the table. After a couple of seconds of staring at the bones, Yeva looks up at Rose. "A dead person will come back into your life."

"What?" Rose snorts and crosses her arms. "How can a dead person come back into my life? The dead..."

"The dead do not always stay dead," Yeva says with that obnoxious all-knowing smirk on her lips. "Need I remind you of a certain werewolf that seems to not die no matter how many times you kill him?"

"How do you know about that?" Rose asks fervently leaning across the table to glare at the witch. To Rose, this is as good time as any to get the answers she seeks.

"Yes," Lissa adds while gently pushing Rose away from the witch and the candles. "How do you know all this, besides the fact that you are witch?"

"I come from a long line of witches, my dear," Yeva answers simply while her smirk never wavers.

The witch looks down at the bones on the table again. Rose, frustrated, rises to her feet. Lissa grabs her hand and silently asks her to sit back down, but Rose has had enough. The witch will not help them. She is being cryptic and obnoxious. Besides, the witch must be insane to think that a dead person will come back to life. That is simply magic too dark for Rose. In the end, putting up with the witch is not even worth it. Rose considers telling Lissa to ask for her money back.

"There is a man," Yeva says without acknowledging the fact that Rose is on her feet.

Rose, wondering if this time the witch will say something interesting, sits down and watches as the witch murmurs something.

"Yes, Lord Adrian Ivashkov. Everyone knows we are engaged." Rose snaps impatiently wishing the witch would just get on with it. Any moment, Rose knows her control will slip, and she will say something that will insult the witch, and the last thing she wants is to anger the witch. Rose doesn't need Yeva to curse her.

"It is not Lord Ivashkov. This man I see, you will love him passionately. You will die for him."

"I love Adrian passionately," Rose protests hotly not liking that a witch questions the strength of her love for Adrian. "And I would die for him."

"You are foolish," Yeva leans against her chair and regards Rose seriously. For once, the witch is not smiling. Her graying eyebrows meet in the middle as she watches Rose like a difficult puzzle. Soon, the witch shakes her head and gazes briefly at the bones then nods. "The love you feel for Lord Ivashkov will pale in comparison to the love you will feel for this man. That love will burn within you; you will do anything for him, and likewise, he will do anything for you."

Dimitri, upon hearing the part about a man coming to Rose's life, feels anger ripple through his massive body. If Ivashkov is not his real enemy, then who is? Who else must Dimitri get rid of? Will he even stand a chance against this man? Still a bit dazed by the collision against the wall, Dimitri struggles to rise. Meanwhile Rose stares open mouthed at Yeva. How can there be another man besides Adrian? There _is_ no other man besides Adrian. This woman is trying to ruin a relationship for which Rose and Adrian worked hard to have. She loves Adrian; there's no doubt about it.

"Who is this man?" Lissa asks as outside Dimitri manages to stand on his four paws and takes a deep breath.

"This man is who you least expect it," Yeva gives them once again that knowing smile as the howling breaks through the ward.

The wolves waiting outside Bucharest rally up for another battle while inside the whorehouse and the Dragomir household, all hell breaks loose. Feeling the ward disappear, Dimitri climbs up the roof of the whorehouse and breaks inside quickly ripping anything that moves apart. The screams carry all the way inside where Rose is on her feet and sword at the ready. Lissa stands closely holding on to Rose's arm for dear life as the fear grips her heart. Ambrose rushes to Yeva's side, but she gently pushes him away. As if the bookshelf weighted nothing, Yeva shoves it aside revealing a door leading out into a dark alley.

"Go," Yeva tells Rose and Lissa. When Rose passes by the witch, she stops the huntress and gazes into her eyes. "Run and hide Beauty. Run from the Beast. He is coming for you. He is coming for all of us."

Before Rose can ask what she means, the sound of paws against the ground are heard on the hallway. Lissa, afraid to be caught out in the open, pulls Rose out into the back alley. Just as Rose disappears outside, Dimitri stands at the entrance to Yeva's room. His massive body takes the space of the doorway. Ambrose holds the sword tightly in his hands ready to stand in the way of Yeva and the beast. Yeva, however, places a hand on Ambrose's left shoulder, and he quickly lowers the sword trusting Yeva knows what she is doing.

"Dimka," Yeva's voice holds sadness but also anger. "Would you kill your old babushka? Of course you would." She chuckles bitterly. "If it serves your purpose, you will kill me and Ambrose."

Dimitri shakes his head and stares at his grandmother knowing she is right, and he will kill her if he doesn't control himself, so he begins to shift back into human. Outside, Rose and Lissa run through the alleys hiding in the darkness while the wolves slaughter Guardians and citizens alike. Every once in a while, a wolf drops down in front of Rose, but she makes sure to keep Lissa close to her while she kills the beasts. Rose's eyes dart everywhere as she moves. She knows Dimitri is here; she can just feel it. Why he would be here, Rose can't imagine.

"That is better," Yeva nods as Dimitri stands in front of her, nude and breathing heavily. "You are still the same, yet you have changed. I am not certain it is for the better."

"Of course it is not for the better," Dimitri growls quietly. "I am a beast! You and your witch of a sister have turned me into this!"

Yeva shakes her head sadly. "You did this to yourself, Dimka. If you had not…"

"I explained why I did what I did!" Dimitri roars as he knocks over the shelf to his left. "I explained to Rhonda…"

"We have known all along what happened," Yeva says calmly and unfazed while Dimitri's eyes widen in shock. Rhonda and his own grandmother have known all along why he did what he did, yet they cursed him. His own family! After all he has done for them. Yeva, seeming able to read his mind, shakes her head again. "You know that is not why we cursed you. Well, perhaps you do not know because if you did, you would be closer to breaking the curse." She makes her way slowly towards her grandson. He stands still when Yeva places her left hand upon his right cheek. "Dimka, my sweet boy."

"Help me babushka," he says sounding very much like a small child seeking the solace of his grandmother. "I did it for Momma…"

"I know," Yeva drops her hand from Dimitri's cheek and turns back to join Ambrose by the door.

Shaking in anger and desperation, Dimitri begins to pace the cluttered room. "Where is Rhonda?"

"My sister is dead," Yeva replies briefly glancing at her nephew Ambrose, who watches Dimitri knock another shelf down in anger. "She perished two years ago."

"She lied," Dimitri tugs at his hair and glares at his grandmother blaming her for Rhonda's lies and mistakes. "She lied when she told me Rose would set me free. She broke her word! The curse should be lifted."

"We do not lie, Dimka. You should know by now. Rose does not love you, and you do not love her."

"I do," Dimitri looks into his grandmother's eyes. "I do love her."

Yet even as he says it, Dimitri does not feel it. Granted, he has not felt love in more than two hundred years. Even as a human, that love he felt once is a different kind of love right? The only love Dimitri ever knew of was that of his family. He loved his mother, father and sisters until one of them betrayed him showing him that loving hurts too much. The betrayal drove him to extremes; it drove him to guard his heart at all costs. Not once has he felt love for a woman. What he can admit to though is that Rose makes him feel… different. There is something about her that makes him feel less like a beast and more like a human, whatever that means. For so long Dimitri has been nothing more than an animal, a beast, that he has forgotten what being human means.

Yeva had been watching Dimitri as he struggled inwardly trying to decipher his feelings. She regards him with her signature sly smirks. "What you feel is not love; it is your desperation and need for freedom from the curse. However, there is hope for you Dimka. I can see it in your eyes and hers. You two care for each other."

He raises his head upon hearing Yeva say Rose does care for him. "Is that not enough?" Dimitri asks desperately. "That ought to count!"

The smile on Yeva's face disappears, and she shakes her head. "You should not love her because of selfish reasons. Love is not forced, Dimka. You have learned nothing. Rhonda's curse will carry even after my death if you cannot find true love and let it find you."

"What is the point of letting love find me?" Dimitri snaps stepping closer to Yeva. "The curse says I will die."

"We all have to pay our sins some way or another. You pay yours with your life." Dimitri's grandmother falls silent and strokes her chin as she goes deep into thought. Seeing her grandson for the first time in over two hundred years has Yeva worried that he will never figure out the way to break his curse. He needs motivation, and she knows just what to do. "Perhaps I can rearrange your curse."

Dimitri's eyes widen as soon as the words leave Yeva's mouth. He falls on his knees and whispers thanks in Russian over and over again. His chest swells up with that long lost emotion called hope. If his grandmother rearranges his curse, perhaps she will make it easier to break. Perhaps she can give him a clue as to what he needs to do. Yeva makes her way slowly to her grandson still on his knees, still whispering his thanks fervently. Hearing the hope in his voice almost makes Yeva cry both in happiness and disgust. She feels disgust at herself for what she is about to do. She is about to possibly kill all his hope, but he needs to learn on his own. This is the only way to ensure he will do the right thing.

Placing her hand on top of Dimitri's head, Yeva's eyes roll to the back of her head and a small breeze picks up.

Dimitri runs out of the whorehouse as the fury and astonishment make him feel like he's going to explode. He can hardly believe what his grandmother has done to him. She and Ambrose had vanished upon finishing cursing him. Like the first time, Dimitri felt hot and cold as the curse began to run through his veins. He had stayed on his knees for several seconds unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then he threw his head back and howled defeated ordering his beasts to retreat. They had no business in Bucharest anymore. It's all over. He will never break the curse. He doesn't see how. As he runs, the words of the new curse echo in his head.

"_He who is hideous by heart will be hideous by aspect. The full moon will control him. The blood lust will consume him. The Beast will be unable to find rest until he finds Beauty's love. Love will claim the life of the Beauty to set the Beast free."_

Who will give her life up for him? Definitely not Rose. It doesn't matter what Yeva said about Rose caring for Dimitri still. She won't die for him. The Guardians lead the survivors into the church where they will be tended to. Some of them pull their swords out when they see Dimitri run through the streets. No one dares to go after him though. What's the point? He will rip them apart. Rose would be the only one insane enough to chase after him, but she is too busy fighting Ivan to notice Dimitri jumping on top of the house to her left.

Ivan tries to scratch her face with his left paw; she jumps aside barely missing the claws. Ivan is the first one to see Dimitri on the roof. Even from afar, Ivan can see the clear command in his Alpha's eyes: do not harm Rose. Ivan jumps to his right just in time to avoid Rose's sharp sword. He knocks her down with his head then runs away jumping over the nearest wall and disappearing into the darkness. Rose astonished gets up and dusts herself off. The breeze picks up just then blowing her blood covered hair all over her face. She turns her face to her left and sees Dimitri perched up on the roof and the sun slowly rising behind him. She grips her sword tight in both of her hands and awaits his attack.

Dimitri can't move. He is mesmerized by her wild beauty. He can see her once gentle brown eyes on fire, her glorious lips are set in a thin hard line, and her silky hair dances along with the breeze caressing her cheeks and neck. _Oh how I wish I could be the air that you breathe, Red_… The thought comes suddenly into his mind snapping him out of the trance. Even in his wolf form, Rose can swear she sees Dimitri smile and even wink at her before finally recovering use of his limbs and jumping over the wall.

By the time, Dimitri reaches the rezendvous point he accorded with Alberta and the others it is mid-morning. They stand in the middle of a meadow surrounded by rocks, mountains and pine trees. Alberta paces back and forth worried for Dimitri while Mason and Ivan explain to the newly bitten what it means to stand by their Alpha. Dimitri jumps over the rocks and onto the meadow; he is still very much on edge over what Yeva has done to him. Alberta and the others sense his agitation, so they keep their distance while he shifts back into human. Mason, the only one who can tell Dimitri off without getting his head ripped off, approaches the alpha first.

"Difficult night?" Mason chuckles as he hands Dimitri a new set of clothes.

"You could say that," Dimitri grunts not the least bit amused. "Rhonda is dead."

Mason's smirk quickly disappears and turns his head back to share a look with Alberta and Ivan. Everyone has heard of course. The pack remains silent as they wait for Dimitri to explain why he's still cursed if the witch has died. No curse carries beyond the death of a witch unless the witch passes on the hold of the curse down to a family member. Alberta is the first one to understand why Dimitri is not free yet.

"Mother," Alberta whispers and shakes her head. "She has always been obstinate, but I would have never thought…"

"They do not care," Dimitri cuts her off sharply and making eye contact with all of his wolves. "We are doomed forever. It is over."

Mason is about to deliver another of his motivational speeches that he has been giving Dimitri since the very beginning. However, just as Mason opens his mouth, Adrian groans loudly reminding Dimitri that he has Ivashkov as prisoner. The wolves move out of Dimitri's way as he stalks towards where Adrian lies. Without preamble, Dimitri picks Adrian up by the neck and shakes him roughly. The shake awakens Adrian fully; his eyes widen in surprise at being surrounded by werewolves and better yet being manhandled by the Alpha himself.

"What happened last night?" Adrian asks groggily as his head throbs painfully. The severity of the situation slowly begins to sink into Adrian's brain turning his confusion to terror. Dimitri and the wolves merely watch as Adrian looks around searching for his sword or any other weapon to defend himself with.

"You cannot defend yourself," Dimitri sneers. "And even if you could, you are surrounded. Now what to do with you?"

The question is of course rhetorical because Dimitri knows exactly what he is going to do with Adrian. Yeva predicted a man in Rose's life, a man that she will love more passionately than she loves Ivashkov. Clearly there's no reason to keep Adrian alive. He's deadweight. He's worthless. Wait, is Adrian Ivashkov really worthless? As the idea forms in his head, a wicked smile parts Dimitri's lips. He bends down to grab Ivashkov by the neck again.

"Let us see how much Rosemarie Mazur loves you." Dimitri throws his head back and laughs.

The laughter sends shivers down Adrian's spine as he wonders what the beast will do not only to him but also to his Little Huntress.

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**Yup, I just left you in another cliff LOL. What do you think of the new curse? Is Yeva screwing Dimitri over or is she really helping? What is going on inside Dimitri's wicked mind? ;)**


	13. Love Note

**AN: As always, thanks for the reviews, favs, follows, and well, for reading my story! Ok, I'm shutting up now! :D**

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No one can remember the last time they had a peaceful, full night's sleep. It must be over two hundred years perhaps more since anyone has felt peace. For two centuries, creatures of the dark have roamed the earth ripping and shredding human life apart. Men have risen and fallen in their attempt at eliminating the werewolves all to no avail. Empires and bloodlines have disappeared over night due to the brutality of the beasts. The latest attack on Bucharest didn't leave much causality like other attacks, except on the whorehouse where nearly everybody was slaughtered. Dragomir's vassals are thankful though to be alive, and they believe it is all thanks to the deadly huntress, Rose Mazur.

Upon delivering Lissa to safety, Rose threw her armor on and ran out to help as much as she could. Even though she is still exhausted over the attack in her home not long ago, the trip, reliving her past, and visiting a witch, Rose is driven by her thirst for revenge and her own self-loathing. Singlehandedly she brought over twenty wolves down. Even after the beasts withdrew, Rose chased after them with a couple other Guardians. Seeing Dimitri sauntering shamelessly around Bucharest has given Rose even more determination to catch and kill him. However, her search was to no avail. The wolves disappeared in the direction of Codrii Vlăsiei, a forest where no one dares venture. No one except Rose. Nonetheless she returned to Bucharest to rest by orders of Lord Dragomir.

As she walks through the streets of Bucharest, many of the inhabitants bow their heads and thank her fervently by trusting small tokens of gratitude into her hands. A small girl of seven years old gives Rose a small piece of cheese. The girl then turns and runs to meet her mother by the fire where no doubt someone they love is burning. The huntress looks away and picks up her pace towards the Dragomir castle. No matter how many beasts she kills, Rose will never shake away the feeling of guilt and responsibility. She can't let go of her shameful failure of her pathetic attempt at killing Dimitri. Then on top of that, she let him escape, twice now. If only the villagers knew that Rose is to blame for the attack tonight, they would cause a riot and demand her blood.

With a deep sigh, Rose shoves the giant doors to the Dragomir household open. As she enters, a platinum mane covers her vision. Lissa hugs Rose tightly and through the sobs sends a thankful prayer to God for bringing her best friend alive and well. Rose gives a small smile and hugs Lissa back. Once they split apart, Eric pulls Rose into his arms as well. The love everyone has for Rose, even after what she considers her deep failures, brings tears to her eyes, but she knows she cannot cry. She is the epitome of strength and bravery. Instead, she shakes her head as if amused by Eric and Lissa's displays of affection.

"We are glad to have you back safely," Eric says softly then his eyes harden as he chastises Rose. "It was very foolish of you to chase after the beasts. They will come back; they always do."

"I doubt so," Rose shakes her head for emphasis. "We have to go after them! They are mere hours away."

"Not now," Eric responds sternly and with authority making sure Rose knows there's no room for argument. "My Guardians are wounded, and their numbers are low. We must wait for Lord Ivashkov's word. Now, I order both of you to retire to bed." He doesn't wait for a response and kisses Lissa and Rose on the forehead before heading out to clean himself up and do his daily duties.

"This is a mistake," Rose shakes her head as both girls enter Lissa's tower. "I have this feeling that we must go to Codrii Vlăsiei…" She trails off unable to explain the feeling that in Codrii Vlăsiei the beasts are waiting. For what? Rose doesn't know.

"Going to the dark forest is suicide Rose and you know it." Lissa sighs as she prepares the tub for their baths. "That is where the rogue werewolves hide. You will be killed before you find Belikov. Perhaps the beasts will fight each other to near extinction." She giggles quietly.

"Wishful thinking," Rose snorts. "You heard the witch."

Both girls remain silent as Rose's words sink in. What exactly has the witch said? Nothing. Yeva was of no help whatsoever except confirm what Rose already knew: Dimitri Belikov is cursed and nothing can kill him. The rest of what the witch said was utter rubbish. The only thing the girls got out of their outing was to put themselves in danger. With a shake or her head, Rose dismisses everything the witch has said even the last part. _Run and hide Beauty. Run from the Beast. He is coming for you. _Rose doesn't need to confirm her fears that Dimitri wants to possess her for some unfathomable reason. Instead, she focuses on shedding her clothes and washing off the dirt and blood.

"Who could be the man Yeva was talking about?" Lissa asks as Rose helps wash her hair. "If it is not Adrian, then…"

"Forget it Lissa," Rose snaps sharply. "That old hag stole your money. Everything she said was rubbish. A dead person will come back into my life? Please." She snorts and rinses off Lissa's hair.

Lissa remains silent as Rose bathes. The only dead person that Rose would want back into her life would be her mother. But how can Janine come back to life? Lissa shakes her head feeling extremely silly for pondering how a dead person can return to life. As sad as it is, Janine was burned for being bitten as was Lissa's mother and sister.

"I wish I could bring Jill and Mother back to life." Lissa whispers as she helps Rose scrub the dirt from under her nails.

Rose stops scrubbing and stares at Lissa. "Do not say those things Liss. The dead are better off dead."

Lissa snorts. "You are lying. Do you not wish you could bring your mother back? No matter the cost? I would do anything." Tears glisten in Lissa's jade green eyes. She quickly looks away as her cheeks blush with… shame. It is then that Rose understands Lissa's sudden passion to bring back the dead.

"Lissa, look at me. Vasilisa! It was not your fault that your mother and Jill died. The attack was not your fault."

"I know the attack was not my fault _Rosemarie_," Lissa gets up and wraps a towel around her body and walks out the bathroom suddenly feeling suffocated by Rose's words of comfort. "If I had not been with Christian engaging in coitus, I could have…" She trails off and collapses on the bed knowing she could have done nothing.

Rose sighs and lets Lissa sob alone for a while. As Rose dries herself, she recalls the most brutal attack of all in Budapest. Months ago, at Adrian's twenty first birthday feast, Lissa and Christian slipped quietly out of the ball room. In a remote tower, they engaged in sexual intercourse. When the rogue werewolves attacked, Lissa and Christian had been the safest of all. They realized what was happening much later when half of the Ivashkov's guests were slaughtered. Rose and Adrian had also been attempting to engage in sexual intercourse; they had escaped to the back garden. Unfortunately and fortunately, the back garden was where the rogue werewolves entered. Adrian had stayed behind trying to fend off the wolves while Rose ran inside to warn everyone.

Somehow, Adrian managed to hold them off until reinforcements arrived. However, the fight in the back gardens, furthest from the castle, only served as a distraction. The rest of the pack broke down the main gate where very few Guardians were. Many died that night including Rhea and Jill Dragomir, Daniella and Nathan Ivashkov, Adrian's parents. Since that night Lissa has blamed no one but herself for the death of her beloved mother and younger sister.

"You could have done nothing," Rose says placing a hand on Lissa's shoulder and confirming Lissa's earlier thoughts. "You are not a huntress, and you would have gotten yourself killed." Her words sound harsh, but it is the plain truth.

Lissa raises her head and turns to give Rose a brief sad smile. "I know I could have done nothing. That is why it is my fault. Why can I not be like you, Rose? You defend those you love no matter what. Against all odds, you are a huntress, and I am just a lady. I will always wait for you, Christian, Andre or father to come save me."

"That is what we do," Rose grabs Lissa's hands and sits down next to her on the plush bed. "And we do it gladly. I know we sometimes fail, but I promise you that I will find a way to kill Belikov. I will bring justice to our families."

Rose doesn't elaborate on how she will accomplish her promise. She has no idea what she will do, and her promise sounds empty and like a lie. However, seeing Lissa's complete faith in her, Rose knows she will not rest or give up until she has Dimitri Belikov's head on a stick. The girls decide to change the conversation to lighter topics such as Rose's wedding with Adrian. Lissa is beyond herself with excitement at the upcoming wedding.

"Your wedding with Adrian will be talked about in songs from years to come! No one will forget the beautiful bride and the dashing, and drunkard, groom. Oh, I do hope my wedding with Christian will be as memorable as yours!"

"Of course it will!" Rose snorts. "The Dragomirs and Ozeras are powerful bloodlines, who will not speak of you?"

Lissa waves her hand dismissively in the air. "Please, what are I compared to Rosemarie Mazur, deadly huntress?"

"Liss…" Rose growls. "You are magnificent and you know it."

"I know," Lissa nods and jumps up from the bed. "I have a brilliant idea! How about I fix your hair? We must have options for your big day!"

"Fine," Rose pretends to sigh annoyed while inside she is as excited as Lissa about her wedding. In two short months, if the wolves allow it, Lissa and Rose will be traveling to Budapest to start preparing for the big event. Rose wanted the wedding to be in Istanbul, and Adrian would have let her have her way, but Tatiana demanded the couple get married in Budapest. While Rose could have put up a fight with the old hag, she didn't want to get more on Tatiana's bad side for Adrian's sake. In the end, the old hag got her way, but now that she thinks about, Rose doesn't care where she gets married as long as she does.

As Lissa works on her hair and chats away, Rose's mind recalls Yeva's words about another man coming to her life. How can there be another man? Rose doesn't want there to be another man. She wants Adrian because they have been through so much. He loves her deeply and if she ever leaves him for someone else, he will be destroyed. Before Rose, Adrian was a mess sleeping with different women every night and drinking wine from sunrise to sunset. Of course he still drinks heavily but not as much as he used to, and he knows it is all because Rose has changed him. So there cannot be another man. Rose shakes her head lightly and decides to push those thoughts out of her head. _Yeva is wrong_, Rose says to herself. _She is insane. I love Adrian, and I would give my life for him. _

For the rest of the day, Rose and Lissa indulge in food and wine as they catch up. Down below, the vassals carry on with their day: baking bread, herding the sheep, selling and trading valuables, cleaning the castle and the streets and delivering messages. Mia Renaldi can't forget the screams of the night as the werewolves killed everyone in the pub. She and her father, along with a couple of others, manage to hide in the beer cellar. But as always, life goes on for everyone. She had been down at the river washing Lady Dragomir's clothing, as she does every day, when a hooded woman approached her.

"Excuse me," the hooded woman spoke quietly enough that Mia failed to hear her Russian accent. "I have a message for Lady Mazur. Is she still in Bucharest?"

"Yes," Mia responded as she dried her hands with her apron. "I shall deliver the message."

The hooded woman hesitated before pulling out an old piece of parchment from inside her cape. "It is of outmost importance that Lady Mazur, and only her, receives this before nightfall."

Mia frowned and took the piece of parchment which held something heavy inside. Staring hard at the object in her hands, Mia didn't realize when the woman slipped away. "But who… is it from?" Mia looked around trying to find the mysterious woman.

With a shrug, Mia picked up the damp clothes and hurried back to the Dragomir castle to deliver the note.

"Where's Lady Mazur?" Mia asks Anna, the cook of the castle.

"She is in Lady Dragomir's chambers. We have orders not to bother unless it is to deliver food." Anna responds while stirring the pot in front of her.

"I have a message for Lady Mazur," Mia continues suddenly feeling like it is of the outmost importance that Rose receives the note.

"It must wait until tomorrow," Anna sighs exasperated and spares the young girl a look. "If it is important, give it to Lord Dragomir."

"No. Thank you." Mia turns away still carrying the basket with the clothes and returns to her duties. Nightfall is not too far from now perhaps whatever is in the note can wait until the morning. If only Mia knew what is in the note, she would deliver the message no matter what.

Morning comes and Rose is getting dressed in a deep red, long skirt, a white, silk chemise and black, leather corset. Her stay at the Dragomir household has been pleasant, regardless of the attack and the unpleasant visit to the witch, but she must return to Istanbul and get a group of Guardians together. Last night, as she laid awake still pondering the rubbish Yeva told her, Rose decided she wouldn't wait for Adrian's orders. She will do what she wants because in the end that is what Adrian will tell her. Andre returned from Moldova late last night, and this morning, the Dragomirs and Rose have breakfast.

"Lord Badica almost cut my head off," Andre says with an amused smile as he recounts to Rose and Lissa about his trip to Moldova. "But with one arm that is difficult to accomplish. He looked like madman swinging his axe around and staggering all over."

"I am surprised he did not manage to cut his other arm off," Rose shakes her head and hides her smile behind her goblet of wine.

"I am too. The amusing part is…" Andre trails off when his eyes fall upon Mia walking towards Rose. His mouth hangs open like it does every time he sees Mia, but before Eric has a chance to notice, Lissa kicks him under the table. Andre quickly looks away and clears his throat. "The amusing part is…"

"My apologies," Mia says timidly standing next to Rose. "I have a message for you Lady Mazur."

"Thank you Mia," Rose smiles and sets her goblet down on the table. She quickly unfolds the old piece of parchment and her eyes fall upon the most heartbreaking message.

_"Red,_

_ I have your beloved as my prisoner. Meet me in Codrii Vl__ă__siei before sunrise. If you do not show up, I will kill him. _

_ Love,_

_ Comrade."_

"When did you receive this message?" Rose asks quietly as the color drains from her face and her hands tremble as she picks up Adrian's ring which came inside the note. Everyone remains silent including Mia as they wonder what has gotten into Rose. She rises to her feet and glares at the servant. "Answer me!"

"Last night, milady. I had orders not to bother you, and…" Mia trails off and cowers away.

"Rose, do not speak to her in that manner," Andre snaps as he too rises to his feet.

"Fuck!" Rose shouts and runs out of the dining room with Lissa and everyone else shouting behind her.

As she runs, Rose can't help feel that it is too late. Adrian is dead. Dimitri killed him. Anger burns inside her pushing her to run faster to the stables where Oscar is. She climbs on top on her stallion without saddling him first and takes off without so much as a glance or word to the Dragomirs. She heads in the direction of Codrii Vlăsiei unconcerned for her own safety only Adrian's. Not once does Rose consider the possibility of a trap. How can there be room for doubt when the bastard sent Adrian's ring? She knows it is his ring because she gave it to him for his twenty first birthday. It is gold with the Ivashkov emblem, a lion. Around the ring is dry blood which without a doubt, and much to Rose's dismay, must be Adrian's. If Dimitri has indeed killed Adrian, Rose doesn't know what she will do. She knows she can't kill the beast, but she will at least try to inflict as much pain as possible before she too dies.

"He cannot be dead," Rose repeats to herself over and over as Oscar gallops. "Please Adrian, please be alive. Please do not leave me." Hot tears roll down her cheeks as she heads to Codrii Vlăsiei, where she will meet her worst nightmare.

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**Another cliffy! Ah, I hate me too. Will Rose save Adrian? Dun, dun, dun! Sorry for any mistakes, I didn't proofread!**


	14. Bargain

**AN: Thanks much for the lovely reviews, favs, and follows! Once again my deepest apologies for the delay of this update. No excuses except that I am a very bad slacker :( Forgive me. Anyway, I'll shut up now.**

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The thick forest Codrii Vlăsiei covers most of the southern part of Romania. During war times, Codrii Vlăsiei is used as a retreating spot because of its difficulty to travel by horse and of course because that is where rogue werewolves hide in the shadows cast by the monumental trees. Dimitri Belikov, alpha and creator of all werewolves, is not concerned about the threat of the uncontrollable, bloodthirsty and vicious beasts. The reason Dimitri paces back and forth, practically caving a hole on the branch he stands upon, is because the sun is fast approaching on the horizon. Rose must and should have received the 'love' note he sent with his aunt. Maybe, as he suspected, Rose does not care for Adrian and that is why she has not shown up yet. Dimitri shakes his head and glares at the first rays of sun as if he could scare them into going away. He knows though that she will show up; she is, as is Dimitri, surprised to have heard from Yeva about a new man. If Dimitri knows Rose, which he does, she will do everything possible to prove Yeva wrong. And Yeva might just be wrong.

Recalling the look Rose gave Adrian in the dungeon of Istanbul, Dimitri could see love; love he had only seen once ages ago. There is no doubt that the huntress loves Adrian, and that angers Dimitri beyond belief. This anger is mixed with an unknown emotion that others know as jealousy, but Dimitri has never experienced until now. How will Rose fall in love with him? If she is in love with Adrian, like Dimitri believes, there is no hope of her ever falling for someone else let alone a beast. Another question springs to Dimitri's mind, should she fall in love with him? The curse Yeva has placed upon him dooms Rose to her death. Why would she give up her life? Does he want her to give up her life for him?

Frustrated by the rays of sun, the questions swarming around his head, and Rose's absence, Dimitri jumps off the tree and lands on his feet with a thunderous thud on the ground. His footsteps are angry and determined as he heads to where Adrian sits between Alberta and Ivan. The wolves move away at the sight of Dimitri's murderous glint and the angry energy his body gives off. Adrian does not need to have a connection with the alpha like the werewolves do to know exactly what Dimitri is about to do. Still, the hunter does not show any fear even though he can picture Dimitri tearing his flesh. In his mind, Adrian sends a prayer to God to make this quick and begs of him to protect Rose. Without prelude or another thought, Dimitri grasps Adrian's neck and begins to cut off his oxygen. The hunter gasps for air as his face turns crimson then blue while Dimitri's teeth enlarge. Just as the beast is about to rip Adrian's face off, Mason lands next to Dimitri.

"Someone is coming," Mason says breathlessly. He had been given the task to look out for any travelers more specifically Rose Mazur.

Dimitri, stunned, retreats his teeth and drops Adrian on the ground. The hunter begins to cough violently even going as far as spitting blood. Any other day, Dimitri would be delighted to inflict pain on Adrian, but today he doesn't care. He has more pressing matters; she has come at last. The previous questions crawling around Dimitri's brain come back full force. Shaking his head as if to shake off the thoughts Dimitri grins mischievously down at Adrian.

"Today is your lucky day, Lord Ivashkov." Before Adrian can ask what that means, Dimitri turns to Mason. "Is it her?"

"The rider of the black stallion is a female. She is travelling at a fast pace, but the terrain is rather difficult as you know." Mason informs as he too wonders what Dimitri wants with Lady Mazur. Even though Dimitri confides the most in Mason, he didn't understand the full details of Dimitri's need to reach Istanbul six months ago. All Mason knows is that Rose is important to Dimitri, and that's all Mason really needs to know to support Dimitri fully.

"How far away is she?" Dimitri asks impatiently wishing to get moving.

"Two miles."

"She is delaying us," Dimitri shakes his head and strokes his stubble. "I will meet her halfway. Bring the prisoner and do not let her see him or any of you until I give the signal."

With those orders, Dimitri takes off leaving Adrian still gasping for breath and fear stricken heart. So much for God taking care of Rose, Adrian thinks bitterly. The mention of a 'she' and a black stallion gave Adrian the finally pieces to put the puzzle together; Rose is coming to his rescue. Who else would be insane enough to venture into Codrii Vlăsiei? Who else would put her life on the line for those she loves? No one else but Rose. Her generous and loving heart is what made Adrian fall madly in love with her, but at this precise moment, he wishes she was selfish and cold-hearted and would just leave him to the mercy of the beasts.

"Let me go," Adrian begs as Mason grabs his shoulder roughly. "Please. Do not let him do this. Kill me instead."

The panic in Adrian's voice goes unaccounted for by Mason or any of the wolves for that matter. All they care for is Dimitri, and they are not about to reveal anything to the human. He's the bait and nothing more. Adrian soon gives up trying to get answers out of the werewolves as they walk especially since Mason ties a piece of clothing around his mouth. Instead, Adrian tries to come up with an escape plan. Of course any plan he could come up with involves having a sword, which was left in Serbia, or being immortal because if he attempts anything, the wolves will be upon him. All Adrian can hope for is telling Rose to leave him and save herself. Knowing his beloved, she will not do such thing. If only she had not been so reckless to show up on her own maybe they'd have a chance. The only consolation Adrian can think of is that if Rose and he are meant to die, then at least they will die together.

Oscar's pounding hoofs against the ground seem to match the thumping of Rose's heart. As she rides, she prays to the God she doesn't believe in that Adrian is alive and unharmed. Something keeps telling her though that perhaps by now Belikov is long gone leaving Adrian ripped apart for her to find. Her vision clouds with red and tears at the thought of Adrian dead. If he is dead, Rose swears to kill every damn werewolf she can find. Given the location of where she is, she might have to start with the vicious rogue werewolves, but she will not rest until she kills the beast once and for all. Oscar comes to an abrupt halt almost sending Rose flying as a large and muscular Russian man jumps from above a tree directly in Rose's path.

Dimitri stands with his hands on his duster and a satisfied and mocking smile on his lips. He wonders briefly why the sight of Rose's wild hair and fiery gaze make his heart beat wildly in his chest. He tries to rationalize that it must be his sense of accomplishment for luring the mighty Rosemarie into his trap. But he can't deny that her beauty always takes his breath away especially when she is practically breathing fire. Rose's chest rises and falls rapidly as she breathes heavily trying to control herself. Her eyes dart everywhere to the shadows and over the man she has hated for five years. Adrian is nowhere to be seen, but that doesn't mean he's dead or alive. Her fingers caress her sword as she keeps Oscar from darting away with her left hand. If Adrian is indeed dead, Rose will not hesitate in cutting Dimitri to pieces over and over until his other beasts are upon her. The only consolation Rose can reach is that she will find Adrian, hopefully, in an afterlife. In the meantime, Rose knows she must handle this with delicacy and reign in her reckless side.

"Where is Adrian?" Rose and Dimitri are surprised by how calm she sounds despite the adrenaline and fear pumping in her veins. "Is he well? I swear if he is harmed in any way…" She trails off and sighs while Dimitri throws his head back and chuckles.

"Milady," Dimitri shakes his head and paces back and forth slowly never taking his eyes off his prize. "You are in no condition to threaten me. The sun has risen several hours ago. I do remember being specific about our meeting time."

"Your message was not delivered until this morning," Rose tries to keep the pleading tone out of her voice as she does not want to show weakness and just how deeply desperate she is to find Adrian, but she realizes she didn't hide her desperation very well.

Dimitri notices her tone as well and his eyebrows furrow deeply and his amusement disappears briefly. After watching Rose bite her lip and look everywhere, no doubt searching for Adrian, Dimitri laughs humorlessly. All this time, Dimitri has been trying to lie to himself about Rose's feelings for Adrian. Clearly, her presence and the fear emanating from her every pore is proof enough that Rose loves Adrian very deeply. The beast feels no hope; there's no reason to carry on with his plan if he's been doomed from the very beginning.

"Where is Adrian?" Rose repeats impatiently breaking through Dimitri's musings. "He is dead is he not?" The rage wins over the pain of losing Adrian, and Rose climbs off Oscar. She stalks decisively towards Dimitri as she unsheathes her sword.

"Put that away," Dimitri commands with a glare. He is not concerned with the sharpness of the huntress' sword. He can feel his wolves shake nervously as they watch Rose point their sword at their leader. If Rose tries to move, the wolves won't be able to control themselves and will attack her. But Rose is not aware of the monsters hiding in the dark, so she swings at Dimitri and attempts to cut off his left arm. He steps aside easily missing the sharp edge of the sword and growling to warn his beasts off. Stumbling forward, Rose quickly turns around and swings again this time trying to cut Dimitri in half. He takes advantage of her closeness and grasps the tilt of the sword before Rose pulls away. He holds her in place the blade mere inches from his navel and hers.

"Unless you want Ivashkov to die, I suggest you pull your sword away." Dimitri hisses exasperated. Has she not learned he cannot die? Is she trying to commit suicide? Even if Rose manages to cut behead him, Dimitri knows his wolves will be upon her in a matter of seconds and by the time he comes back to life, she will be dead.

But that is exactly what Rose wants; death. Of course now hearing that Adrian is still alive makes her feel hopeful. However she is not about to easily put her sword away and believe Dimitri's words. She looks into his eyes, the eyes she once thought were gorgeous resembling molten chocolate and held sadness yet gentleness as well. Seeing a hint of that gentleness back in his eyes convinces Rose to pull back, so she sheathes her sword and glares at the beast.

"He is alive then," Rose's eyes roam over the thick tree line unable to see nothing but foliage and darkness. "What do you want?" She says locking her gaze back on Dimitri whose eyes are now back to that calculating and icy stare.

"I believe you know exactly what I want, milady." Dimitri's lips pull up in a sardonic smile. "You have known for years what it is I seek from you." Knowing Adrian is listening, Dimitri decides it's time for the hunter to know the beauty doesn't belong to him. She never did because Dimitri had claimed her long ago. The hunter, however, is not fazed as he still attempts to break away.

"I do not," Rose replies the beast stubbornly tilting her chin up in defiance. "Do you wish gold? I can give you gold. My father and the Ivashkovs will give you more gold than you have ever seen if you set Adrian free." Her voice drops to a low volume as if trying to seduce the beast with the promise of riches.

Dimitri scowls and grunts disgusted at her proposal. Gold was part of his downfall, and he has in fact seen more gold than the Mazurs, Ivashkovs, Dragomirs and Ozeras combined can muster. Besides, gold cannot buy his way out of his curse, but the life of the beauty can. Dimitri casts his eyes heavenward where he can only see the tree branches intertwining with the each other. Should he force her to give her life up? Can she even give her life up for someone like him? Returning his gaze back to Rose, who is stiff as a tree waiting for his response to her bargain, Dimitri decides that if she is willing to give up her life for a drunkard and arrogant man like Adrian, who does not deserve it, then she can in fact give her life up for a murderer and a beast.

"Why did you come?" Dimitri asks before relaying his own bargain which she will have no choice but to accept.

Rose takes a deep breath and looks away from Dimitri. How does she explain to the beast love? How does she explain to the beast what sacrifice and selflessness means? He wouldn't comprehend. He is not human, not really. The form he holds now of a rather handsome Russian man is not his true form. To Rose the form of the beast she has seen several times is his true identity. Instead of wasting her breath trying to make Dimitri understand all of that, Rose merely shakes her head.

"Enough of this foolish conversation. Will you take the gold or not? Lay down the terms of Adrian's freedom and the disappearance of your kind forever."

Her words cause Dimitri to laugh. "I do not know if you are bold or perhaps foolish, Red. Your words conjure up a million of possibilities in my head most of them involving you naked in a room with me and screaming my name to the heavens." His booming and mocking laughter increases echoing throughout the forest as he takes in the sight of Rose's crimson cheeks. Once his laughter dies down and Rose has managed to stay in control, Dimitri shakes his head and continues. "Will you meet my terms milady? No matter what they are?"

"I shall see what I can arrange," Rose says carefully. "My father is very powerful and Adrian…"

"I do not care for gold!" Dimitri roars exasperated that she continues to play innocent. They both know exactly what Dimitri wants in exchange for Adrian's safe release. "I do not care for riches or power. Tell me, will you or will you not meet all my conditions regardless of what they are."

"Before I answer, I must know if Adrian is indeed alive and unharmed. I do not know if you are baiting me into a trap. Is he well? If he is not, if any of your beasts have laid a hand upon him…"

"You are, still, in no condition to threaten or even negotiate really." Dimitri shrugs as the triumphant smile returns to his lips. "But I am a fair man, and I will let you see for yourself that your beloved is in good condition. Not a single hair out of place." He chuckles at the last part knowing Adrian has been roughened up by Mason.

Out of the darkness a couple of feet behind Rose, Mason steps out holding Adrian by his shoulder as if he were nothing but a rag doll. Dimitri motions with his hand for Rose to turn around and see for herself that while Adrian sports a black eye, a bruised left cheek, and perhaps a couple broken ribs, his heart still beats erratically. Her eyes soften and fill with tears as she gazes upon him. Despite his rough state, he is in fact alive. Rose can't help the deep and long sigh of relief that escapes her lips, and she almost runs to him if Dimitri hadn't seen it coming.

"A single movement and he dies," Dimitri says through his teeth as he balls his fists behind his back but is able to keep his face void of anger. He must hold it together until the bargain is sealed. "Now that you have seen with your own eyes that he is alive…"

"What do you want?" Rose turns abruptly around to face Dimitri again. A single tear leaks out of her left eye which she quickly and angrily wipes away.

"I want you," Dimitri's voice rings loud and clear. "You in exchange for Ivashkov. You come with me, and he returns safe and sound home."

Adrian wants to shout but his ribs hurt entirely too much. He wishes he could scream at Rose to just climb on Oscar and leave him to face the beasts. She can't do this. She can't give her life up for him. God knows what Dimitri will do to her. Well, Adrian has an idea of what the beast will do with the beauty, and he can't stand the thought of Dimitri touching Rose or hurting her in any way. Adrian whimpers trying to get Rose's attention and communicate with his eyes that it's ok for her to leave him. That it's ok for her to save her life. But Rose won't turn around. Her eyes are shut tight and she holds her sword painfully in her hands debating whether she can fight Dimitri off, reach Adrian, kill Mason, and escape the horde of werewolves that have suddenly made themselves known with their glowing eyes in the darkness.

Any attempt at saving Adrian will be suicide. She will end up killing both of them, but if she takes Dimitri's bargain, at least Adrian will survive. Suddenly, Rose hates herself for her stupid recklessness; she should have brought Andre and several Guardians along. But why would she risk many lives when giving her life, a single life, can save them all especially her loved ones. All along Rose had known what Dimitri would ask of her; she had known he would ask her to go with him like he had done years ago except this time, there is no choice. Ever so slowly, the huntress turns around to face Adrian.

His eyes fill with tears too when he sees the decision written all over Rose's face. She gives Adrian a small loving smile before turning back to Dimitri to give him her answer. She holds an impassive and fearless mask as slowly she nods her head taking the beast's bargain.

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**Oh snap! She said yes. What now? How will Dimitri get her to love him? Should she love him even if it means she will die? Will Adrian take the decision lightly? Any thoughts? **


	15. Farewell

**AN: Happy Holidays! Are we all alive? No zombie apocalypse or anything? No? Okay! Sorry for taking so long to update! I had writer's block on this story for a while :( If I happen to take long to update again, please do shot me a message or review telling me to get off my fat ass and write! Lol. **

**On another note, I read your reviews and some of you have it dead on how the story will develop! Last chapter was a bit predictable with Rose accepting Dimitri's deal but I mean come on! We want them together don't we? As for the length of chapters, I will try to make them a bit longer.**

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After nodding her head, Rose turns around to look into Adrian's eyes again. His bright emerald eyes usually amused and mischievous are full of despair, loss and pain. Even before Rose nodded her head accepting the beast's bargain, Adrian already knew she would accept, but he held the hope that she would be selfish just once in her life. It had been a long shot, and he had known it all along because Rose is not only stubborn but unnaturally good and selfless. When they first met, Adrian had been extremely prejudiced against her, and his first thought when he saw her walk in was that she was only a pretty face.

"This is Lady Rosemarie Mazur," Stan had announced to everyone five years ago. Of course Stand didn't need to tell them who Rose was. Her exotic beauty was spoken of even though she was very young. However, what Stan did need to do was explain why Rose was dressed in brown trousers, a fitted white chainse, and black leather boots. All in all, why did Rose look like she would be training with them? "She has been granted permission by Lady Tatiana to be a huntress."

The silence that had settled in the room upon seeing Rose enter with Stan was shattered by whispers of surprise followed by full-out cries of outrage and disbelief. They all had heard of course of the tantrum Rose was throwing; they didn't expect Tatiana to give into the demands of a spoiled thirteen year old child who had just lost her mother. What they didn't know was that Ibrahim Mazur had threatened to leave the alliance set forth by the thirteen lords ages ago if his daughter was not allowed to be a huntress. The last thing any of the lords wanted was to lose a great, resourceful, and even feared ally like Lord Mazur. To top it all, the Dashkovs and Badicas demanded Rose be silenced forever because they considered her a disgrace and threat. If she succeeded in becoming a huntress, many other ladies would desire to be like her: treated equally like a man. In the end, Lady Tatiana's word was final. The risk of losing Abe, whom she secretly loved, outweighed the possibility of an uprising among the lords.

Adrian Ivashkov shouted his disagreement the loudest of all. He could hardly believe that a lady like Rose would be like him. What was the world coming to? Stan had let them all shout and get the surprise out of their system. Next to him, Rose proudly kept her chin up and ignored the insults thrown her way.

"This is madness!"

"She is a _woman_!"

"Women are only good for breeding!" Adrian had shouted above all others finally getting a reaction out of both Stan and Rose.

"Lord Ivashkov!" Stan had roared while a vein pulsated dangerously in his neck. "That is enough! All of you! You dare question the decision of Lady Tatiana? I ought to report all of you and have you beheaded!" There was a pause in which all the men in the room remained silent but still glaring at Rose as if she was an intruder. "Now, Lady Mazur deserves an opportunity to show what she is made of."

"Nothing." Adrian muttered under his breath.

Stan continued with his speech which Rose ignored. Adrian's comment had not gone unnoticed by her, and she had had enough. She had been controlling her anger since the moment the whispers had started. Ivashkov, to her at that time, was nothing more than a drunk who had deflowered every maiden in Hungary. He was a condescending, presumptuous, and spoiled son of a bitch who deserved to be taught a lesson. And Rose wanted to be the one to do so. She stalked towards Adrian, who was standing at the front of the line with his arms crossed and a satisfied grin on his face. As she walked, Rose grudgingly recalled the lesson Dimitri gave her on punching to get away from a situation with a human. She fisted her right hand making sure to keep her thumb outside just between the knuckles of her index and middle fingers.

"As inexperienced as you are, Red," Dimitri's voice echoed in her head as she pulled back her hand. "You must aim for the chest or any other part of the body except the face. You will most likely hurt yourself if you attempt to break your opponent's nose."

As Rose punched Adrian's chest, she could practically see the grin Dimitri had given her on her first lesson. He had been genuinely amused, for he did not sway as he was extremely tall and muscular compared to her petite frame and less than successful punch. This time, however, Rose managed to make her opponent stumble backwards with the force of her punch and caused him to fall on his ass. It might have also helped that Adrian was and still remains quite slender compared to the Russian. Adrian's companions stood dumbfounded as they looked at Adrian on the floor and then at Rose standing straight with cheeks flushed in anger. Then another uproar surged in the room. How could a thirteen year old girl like Rose knock down Adrian, sixteen at the time, who had been training to be a hunter practically all his life?

"How dare you?" Adrian whispered finally regaining use of his brain. "How dare you?" He shouted and this time rising to his feet. "Do you not know your place?"

Rose had sneered. "Show me my place, _Lord_ Ivashkov." She taunted as she took a fighting position with her feet firmly on the ground while her fists were raised high. "I dare you to put me in my place!"

Adrian, encouraged by all the others, stepped forward to fight with Rose. However, Christian Ozera stepped in front of Rose protectively. Out of all the males in the room, Christian had remained quiet, for he knew Rose would want to set all the others straight on her own. Things though were starting to go too far. Adrian was actually stepping up to fight a woman.

"Out of the way, Ozera." Adrian growled.

"Christian," Rose growled at the same Adrian did.

"No." Christian replied defiantly. "One day, Rose, you will show these fools _their _place. You will show them you are better, but today is not the day."

"I agree," Stan, who had been close to Rose just in case, placed his hand on Rose's shoulder. "You are not prepared to take on Ivashkov. One day you will. Let us return to our daily activities. Christian and Edison, you will show Lady -"

"If she is training with us," Adrian interrupted disdainfully. "You might as well stop calling her a lady." With that, he turned away.

"With the way I knocked you down, Ivashkov, you might as well be the lady." Rose snapped back.

"Enough," Stan sighed and wondered why Rose couldn't just ignore them, why she couldn't be the bigger person in the petty argument. Then he remembered she was young and had much to learn. Her potential and skill exceeded all of her other flaws such as her big mouth and fiery temper. Stan didn't know how or when suddenly little Rose became knowledgeable in fighting techniques, but he was thankful he happened to catch her practicing by the river the day after her mother died. "Christian and Edison, help Rosemarie converge with the rest." He ordered before leaving to speak to Tatiana of her nephew's actions.

In a small amount of time, Rose caught up with the rest of the Guardians and hunters. By the end of her first year, it was easy to mistakenly believe that Rose had been training for ages. To the dismay of many, she became adept at sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat easily knocking all of them to the ground. In time, everyone learned better than to taunt or try to humiliate Rose. Well, everyone except Adrian. He and Rose never missed a chance to make each other upset during their time at St. Vladimir's. They argued like cats and dogs shouting profanities and unflattering comments at each other from across the room. Their animosity became too great that Stan, Christian and Eddie, who rather quickly got over his prejudice and became friends with Rose, had to keep Adrian and Rose as far away as possible lest they would kill each other.

It seemed like their relationship would forever be that of enemies. No one in a million years imagined that Adrian and Rose would have some sort of amicable relationship. Then one night, everything changed. Two years after Rose's arrival at Budapest, Adrian was officially given his first task as hunter. He would leave in the morning with a group of hunters for Vienna, Austria where it was rumored Dimitri was hiding. In order to be ready to depart, Adrian had to get his sword sharpened, and he was just leaving the blacksmith's home when he saw Rose hurrying in the direction of St. Vladimir's. Curious as to what Rose was up to so late at night, he followed her and from the shadows watched as she practiced hacking wooden mannequins.

Seeing Rose moving with precision, long hair flying everywhere and her lips curled back in anger made Adrian wonder who had angered the young woman. Of course he was used to seeing her angry half time during training sessions. Her anger was always due to the idiotic remarks made still by half the group. Over time, Adrian quit his patronizing act against Rose's gender and decision to be a huntress despite the world being against her. He finally understood why she did what she did. Why she put up with the insults. Just because he understood her though didn't stop him from continuing with their bickering, for he found it extremely amusing to see her beautiful brown eyes flash with anger. Rose was, and still is, easily angered, and he has always found that incredibly endearing among other things such as her voluptuous chest, sensual hips, and silk-like hair. Oh and her lips drove him completely insane. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her…

"If you are going to romanticize about me," Rose shouted abruptly. "Could you do it when I am not present?" She continued breathlessly as her chest rose and fell due to the arduous work. "It is rather disgusting."

Adrian, having no other option but to show himself, stepped out from the shadows.

"Romanticize about you?" He snorted aiming for nonchalance even though he had indeed been fantasizing about her. "Do not flatter yourself, _Rosemarie_." He sneered her full name knowing it upset her greatly when they called her that.

"Oh I do apologize," Rose said absentmindedly as she sheathed her sword. "I was under the impression that you are a _pig_."

"A pig?" Adrian threw his head back and laughed. For some reason, Rose found his laughter to be quite pleasant, rich and melodious. As quickly as the thought came to her head, she dismissed it and crossed her arms over her chest ready for another row with him before he left possibly to never be seen again. She bit her lip and tried to control the unnerving feeling of anger and despair she felt whenever she thought of Adrian leaving and something happening to him. "You seem to have lost your wit, Rosemarie."

And she had. Since receiving his official and first task two days ago, Adrian was the first to notice that Rose had sort of put up a wall between them. When that morning, during their usual runs around the Ivashkov massive domain, Adrian had shouted innuendos at Rose, she had merely run faster. And afterwards during hand-to-hand combat, for the first time ever, Eddie managed to knock her down. Even those who opposed her stared dumbfounded as Eddie, also astonished, pinned her to the ground. Clearly something was not right with Rose.

"Have I?" She said sounding distracted and detached as she looked at the ground. "Forgive me. I shall sharpen my tongue for when you return."

Adrian couldn't help but notice her sad tone. Unsure of what his feet were doing, he stepped closer. His body seemed to be acting on his own that night; it was as if his brain had disconnected. Never in his wildest dreams or drunkard states would he dare touch Rose. Still, with his right hand he tilted her chin up, so he could look into her eyes. Besides noticing Rose's breath catch on her throat, a realization hit him as hard as that first punch she gave him two years ago: She was sad.

"Why are you upset?" He asked quietly and letting go of her.

"What gives you the impression that I am upset?" She quickly hid her sadness and took a step away from him.

"I can see it in your eyes."

Rose gave an unladylike snort. "You think you know me? You think you know how I feel? Better yet, since when do you care about me? I am nothing, remember? A woman only good for breeding." For some reason, his words had stung more than any other insults she had heard over the course of two years.

With a grimace, Adrian took another step towards her. "I do not claim to know you fully, but I do know some things about you. I know you are a huntress seeking revenge. Your mother was burned along with all those who were bitten the night of the attack by rogue werewolves. You seem to have made it your life's mission to kill all of them, singlehandedly." He chuckled at that. Never had he met someone so hell bent on killing those beasts. He had never met someone who hated those creatures as much as he did. Somehow their hatred connected them.

Astonished that Adrian acknowledged her as a huntress and that he realized her motives for wanting to taint her hands with blood, Rose remained speechless and looking into his deep emerald eyes. When did he change his point of view of her? When did _she _change her point of view of him?

"As for the insults," he cleared his throat and looked away. "I must admit I was harsh."

"Harsh?" Rose snorted again. "I do believe you made my life hell."

"You never gave up though," he said with admiration, which Rose noticed, lacing his words. "Your determination is not something found in every lady."

"Are you mocking me?" Rose arched her left eyebrow her hand reflexively going for the tilt of her sword.

"Not at all," Adrian added hastily throwing his hands up in surrender. "I value my life and incredibly gorgeous face to insult you in such matter."

For the first time in two years, Rose laughed at something Adrian said. For the first time in _his_ life, Adrian heard her laughter, and he decided he loved it. He stared at her as her eyes twinkled with amusement. She was otherworldly to him just then with her long hair cascading down to her mid back. Her beauty took his breath away and before he knew what he was doing, he leaned forward and kissed her. Rose immediately froze at the touch of his lips on hers. Fearing that he had unleashed the wrath of Rosemarie Mazur, Adrian pulled away only to look into her wide eyes.

"Pardon me, Lad-" He was interrupted by Rose's lips. Like Adrian, Rose didn't know what possessed her to kiss him. They disliked each other fervently! How did they go from enemies to suddenly be attracted to each other? Pushing those thoughts aside, Adrian and Rose kissed softly almost like a whisper. He gripped her face gently between his hands as she held on to his shoulders. After what seemed like ages, they split apart. "Who are you and what have you done with Rose?"

"I am Rose now?" She asked amused since she was always Rosemarie to him.

"You are the most delicate and beautiful rose I have ever laid eyes upon," he replied adoringly as he stroked her cheek gently. The amusement left his face as he took on an air of solemnity, which was quite rare for him. "I must confess that is the reason I was so harsh on you. When Stan announced you would be like us, I could not believe it. The only reason it was preposterous was because a delicate rose like you ought to be protected at all times. I did not wish for anything to taint you." Once again his eyes twinkled with amusement. "But you have shown me, you have proven to be deadly and there is no way to stop you. In fact, I have a poem for you."

Rose, still trying to recover from the kiss and Adrian's confession, frowned at the sudden change in conversation. "A poem? Why, Lord Ivashkov, I never took you for a poet."

"I can be many things for you, Little Huntress." He winked quite satisfied with his quick thinking of her new nickname. It fit her perfectly. He bowed low and kissed her hand. Then he followed to step away and get on his knees spreading his arms wide. Right then Rose began to question the reality of the situation. How quickly were they moving! One moment they argued over nothing, the next they developed feelings for each other and kiss. And then, he was even reciting poetry to her. "Rose is in red, but never in blue. Sharp as a thorn fights like one too."

"Bravo Lord Ivashkov," Rose applauded as she grinned amused but quite impressed with his quick wit. "And here we all took you for a bloodthirsty drunk adulterer."

Adrian dusted himself off and gave Rose a mischievous smile. "If I am pouring my heart out to you, I might as well do it properly. I think I adore you, Lady Mazur. I wish to have the opportunity to show you I am more than a bloodthirsty drunk adulterer."

The lightness of the moment disappeared and once more turned solemn. Rose swallowed loudly and looked at her feet. Sure, secretly once or twice she imagined having a relationship. But her encounter with the beast, who betrayed her when she cared and might have even loved him, left Rose with a sense of insecurity. How can she trust anyone with her heart? Never mind the trust, how could they have a relationship when Adrian was going to leave the next day? What if something happened to him? She couldn't and wouldn't subject herself to depend on someone else to keep her whole and happy.

With an apology on her lips, Rose looked up at Adrian to inform him that she didn't want to be with anyone. Looking into his eyes though, she could see hope and perhaps some sort of adoration. How could she turn him down when he looked at her that way? Did she want to turn him down? With a sigh, Rose nodded her head accepting to give Adrian the opportunity to prove he could be someone good for her. As he grinned happily and kissed her hand again, all Rose could do was hope Adrian would never break her heart.

The next day, Adrian left but not before promising to return. And return he did. To everyone's surprise, their relationship blossomed after that. Of course it wasn't easy; Rose had to put up with Adrian's popularity among the maidens. It didn't help that Tatiana, greatly displeased with his nephew's choice for a woman, many times suggested more "suitable" ladies for Adrian in front of Rose. At some point, Natalie Dashkov spent some time in Budapest trying to seduce Adrian into marriage. When that didn't work, Tatiana tried to arrange a marriage between Vasilisa and Adrian. Of course that attempt failed as well since Lissa became engaged to Christian, and Erik would not let his daughter marry without love.

Throughout it all, Rose never gave up and neither did Adrian. She did wish, however, that he had put a stop to his aunt even before she suggested he marry Lissa. While Rose had tried to deny it to herself and her friends, it had hurt her deeply that Tatiana had attempted to marry Adrian off with Rose's best friend. For two years, they battled not only Tatiana but also Lord Mazur, who also wanted a more suitable husband for his only daughter. When Adrian proposed on his twenty-first birthday, everyone realized that there was no way to split them apart. Nothing could or would except maybe Dimitri Belikov.

The deep and victorious laughter of the beast snaps Rose and Adrian out of their heads where they were reliving their history. _Life is unjust_, Rose thinks bitterly as Dimitri claps in celebration of his victory. _We have fought tooth and nail to be together only to be split apart by my past._ Feeling like Adrian will be able to read her mind, she looks away and turns to Dimitri.

"Release him at once," she commands letting her hatred be heard. "I will not tolerate your beasts touching him any longer."

Dimitri stops laughing to frown at Rose. He can't help but admire her courage to speak to him in that matter when her life and Ivashkov's as well are in his hands. In that moment, Dimitri realizes just how difficult it will be to dominate Rose and subject her to love him.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Dimitri arches his left eyebrow. "I tell Mason to release him, and you two will try to run, escape. Need I remind you, milady that you are mine now."

"You do not need to remind me!" Rose roars as she tries with all her might to not let the tears flow. "I give you my word that I will go with you! Release him now!" Her voice echoes in the forest with such force that makes the werewolves cower in fear.

After seconds of hesitation, Dimitri gives a small and sharp nod to Mason, who lets go of the prisoner. Adrian stumbles toward Rose, who has run to meet him. She hugs him tightly and strokes his head, but before she can say a word, Adrian grasps Rose's sword and unsheathes it. He pulls Rose behind him as he positions himself to fight the wolves. At the sight of Adrian with sword in hand, Dimitri throws his head back and laughs. The other wolves soon join their Alpha.

"How pathetic…" Dimitri says through the fit of laughter. "Do you… do you honestly believe you can kill us all? Even if by some miracle you do manage to defeat me and my wolves, I wish you luck surviving the rogue beasts." And Dimitri, as well as everyone, knows they won't. The only reason the rogue werewolves have not attacked is because they still fear Dimitri, their original Alpha.

"Adrian…" Rose says gently as she squeezes his stiff shoulder. She knows, like Dimitri, that any attempt at escape is suicide. "Lower the sword. Any attempt at escape is futile."

After several seconds of standing stiffly in front of Rose, Adrian drops the sword on the ground and turns to pull his beloved into his arms. They kiss fervently and desperately both knowing it will be their last time. Watching Rose in Adrian's arms makes Dimitri's blood boil, but he keeps himself in control with the reminder that he has won. He has won the beauty, and their kiss is their farewell to each other. Breaking apart for air, both Adrian and Rose touch their foreheads together and hold each other as closely and tightly as they possibly can.

"Please Rose," Adrian's voice breaks with sadness and pain. "Do not do this! Leave. Let them kill me."

"He wants me alive for some reason," Rose replies sadly with a firm shake of her head. "While you, he has no reason to keep you alive. I will not let you be hurt. If this is the only way to keep you and those I love safe, I will take it."

"I do not care to live if you are not with me," a sob escapes Adrian's lips. "I love you, Little Huntress."

"I love you as well," Rose buries her face on his neck and swallows the knot in her throat. "I love you."

"Time is up!" Dimitri shouts unable to take any more of their disgusting display of affection. Watching them kiss and hug was one thing, but hearing them proclaim their love is entirely too much. Besides, he is rather impatient to reach their new destination. "You do not want me to change my mind and kill you both!"

Not wanting to risk it, Rose kisses Adrian one last time. "Be safe." She whispers against his lips still trying to hold back the tears. She will be strong for him. "Ride as fast and far as you can. Do not look back. Do _not _come looking for me!"

"I will not promise you that, Little Huntress." Adrian whispers fervently in her ear. "I will not give up on you. I will gather reinforcements, and I will find you. I swear!"

Before Rose can protest, Adrian climbs on Oscar and rides as fast as he can through the treacherous terrain of Codrii Vlăsiei. He meant what he said; he will spend every waking moment searching for his beloved. As he rides towards the Dragomir household, Adrian vows to God to kill Dimitri Belikov, for he has taken away Adrian's reason for living. _A life without Rose is not life at all_, he thinks as he finally lets the tears flow and pushes Oscar to move faster, and prays that Belikov's obsession with Rose keeps her alive long enough for Adrian to find her.

Rose is relieved that Adrian at least listened to her, and he doesn't look back as he gallops away. Even though she doesn't believe in God, Rose prays to him that Adrian doesn't return. A part of her doesn't want him to risk his life, and knowing her friends and father, they will also put their lives in danger for her. But another part of her does want them to look for her. With a sob and a chuckle, Rose realizes that in fact they will search for her. Their actions, however, will be counterproductive to her sacrifice. They'll be putting themselves in danger when all she wants is avoid more bloodshed. Can't they see that all Dimitri wants is her? For what reason, she cannot fathom, but she will find out hopefully before she dies of heart ache. Letting Adrian go has been one of the hardest things she has ever done. No matter what the witch says, Rose loves Adrian, and she has just proven that.

Adrian disappears in the distance and is swallowed by the shadows cast by the trees, and Rose feels it is safe enough to shed at least a couple of tears.

"Farewell my love," she whispers even though Adrian can't hear her anymore. During their time together, neither Adrian nor Rose said farewell when going on missions. As hunters of ferocious beasts, they felt that saying goodbye would bring bad luck upon them. But when they returned to each other's arms, instead of a greeting, they would say goodbye. It was something that kept them both sane whenever the other went off to kill beasts and the uncertainty of their safety gripped their hearts. This time, Rose knows they won't be seeing each other.

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**Kay so this was a bit longer right? I will try so hard not to take too long to update, but if I do, remember that you're free to PM or review with a very angry message, all words in caps lock! Lol. I had to add some RosexAdrian time. So sorry if you don't like them, and you might think it will be impossible for Rose to fall for Dimitri, but you'll see! :D Oh and Happy New Year's! **


	16. Poison

**AN: I owe it to y'all! An update sooner rather than later (I hoped for it to be even sooner but facebook is a useless distraction to which sadly I am addicted to). I have added Rose and Dimitri time so you can forgive me aaand love me again? Lol.**

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Impatient to move on, Dimitri approaches Rose, who continues to gaze in the direction Adrian disappeared long ago, and grabs her elbow roughly. He can't stand how obviously heartbroken she is over Adrian. One day, he knows, she will forget all about Ivashkov. She _must_. Recovering from the shock of Dimitri touching her, Rose jerks her elbow away with such force she stumbles backwards but doesn't fall. She narrows her eyes on him and her lips curl back in anger; anger because of what he has made her do. Knowing full well that she is on her own against Dimitri and his horde of beasts, she spits in his face anyway.

"_Do not touch me ever again_," she hisses venomously and picks up her sword which Adrian left on the ground.

Ivan growls somewhere in the shadows for the lack of respect shown to his Alpha, but Dimitri merely wipes the spit off his face and chuckles. "What will you do if I do not obey? Kill me?" He sneers.

"Yes," Rose whirls around and narrows her eyes on him. "Yes. I will kill you. One day, I will discover a way to kill you once and for all."

He shrugs and grins, for he knows there's no way for him to die. "I look forward to it milady. Before that happens, you will beg me to touch you… among other things."

"Not even in your dreams," she mutters darkly and with a glare. Then a question, which he never truly answered, comes back to Rose's mind. "Why me?"

The question startles Dimitri. Memories flood his mind as he recalls the last time she asked him that question. It had been after he asked her to run away with him. He never did get an answer from her as the werewolves soon attacked, and Rose blamed the death of her mother on him. If only she had and would let him explain, she wouldn't hate him so much. Concerning her question, Dimitri knows that despite Rhonda's death, he is wise to remember her warnings. Instead, he tries to be as cryptic as possible in the hopes that Rose understands, or guesses, what it is that she must do.

"You know why," Dimitri crosses his arms over his broad chest.

Rose sighs tiredly and eyes her sword longingly. Since picking it up, the thought of killing herself flashed in her mind. What is the point of living from now on? She will be away from her loved ones: her father, friends, and fiancé. Besides, nothing good awaits her at the hands of the beast. Perhaps he will use her for his own entertainment, perhaps he will bite her, or simply he will kill her. However, she pushed the thought aside. How selfish can she be? Being close to the beast, perhaps she can figure out how to kill him. She will be close enough to figure out his weaknesses, if he had any. Her only consolation is that if Dimitri wanted her dead or bitten, she would be dead or bitten.

"I do not," she shakes her head. "How can I know? You are always cryptic and answer my questions with questions of your own."

"I told you everything you needed to know," Dimitri's eyes watch Rose's every movement, how her head is bent down looking at the dirt and digging her sword into the earth. Her brows are furrowed in deep concentration, and he can guess that she's probably trying to recall their conversations from five years ago.

Finally, she looks up still frowning and shakes her head again. "You said nothing. Always cryptic and mysterious."

If Dimitri didn't know any better, he would have thought that a smile threatened to creep into Rose's lips. Good thing he knew better because if he didn't he would have mistaken her tone of longing for those simpler and yes even happy times with the mysterious man that had fallen from a tree. Like him, Rose is conflicted. Why is she thinking fondly of those afternoons when he would try to teach her to knock down the Guardians? Why is she fighting hard a smile about those times when she tried to arch her eyebrow like he does?

Dimitri grunts and turns taciturn and mocking again. "I thought you were clever enough to figure it out."

"I was thirteen!" Rose rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "How could I figure out what you wanted? Today even, I cannot fathom why is it that you want me so desperately."

"I told you," Dimitri sighs exasperated and uncrossing his arms. "I need you."

Once again, Rose can see the plea in his eyes, a plea for help. His brown eyes, cold and guarded few seconds ago, are gentle and sad. Involuntarily, she takes a step towards him as she bites her lip. The overwhelming sensation, which she sometimes hates, to help someone takes over her. In that moment, all she wants is to take him in her arms and say she will do everything to help him. Especially when in his eyes she can see her Comrade; she can see a man not a beast. But that's just it, he's not a man. He _is _a beast. She has sworn to kill him, and she will do just that even if it kills her.

Rose slips her mask of deadly huntress back on and whispers dangerously. "I do not want to help you. I want you dead."

Exasperated by her stubbornness and shocked at how quickly she can change moods, Dimitri growls and abruptly takes the sword out of her hands. "Good luck doing that without this." He sneers before walking away leaving Rose to seethe.

So close. He could see it in her face that he was so close to convincing her to help him. Her features had softened considerably, and she had even stepped closer to him as if she wanted to embrace him, or so he'd like to think. But she changed moods infuriatingly fast. At first she was heartbroken and upset over having to let Adrian go. Then she turns curious and concerned over Dimitri's life. Now, she's back to being upset and wishing Dimitri dead.

With a shake of his head, he motions Mason and Alberta forward. "Keep her close at all times. Do not let her escape. If she does, I will rip your heads off with my bare, human teeth." He finishes with a growl as he moves to find Ivan and have him guard Rose's sword.

"You would think he would be happy to finally have her," Mason snorts loudly enough for Dimitri to hear. "He is still very much bitter."

"We ought to give them time," Alberta reasons as they approach Rose, who is glaring at the Alpha. "She will learn to not hate him; and he will learn to, well, be less bitter."

"I pray to God," Mason mutters. "I wish to have the old Dimitri back."

The last part is heard by Rose. Her curiosity stirs at the mention of a past Dimitri, a Dimitri that perhaps was not manipulative, obsessive, or murderous. A Dimitri that was not a beast but human. The thought of finding more about her captor is put aside as the werewolves stop near her, and when they do she crosses her arms and watches them defiantly. Even though she is unarmed, she will put up a fight.

"Milady," the red-haired, blue-eyed and youngest looking of the pair gives Rose a low bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mason Ashford, and I will be your personal jailer." He grins despite Alberta's sigh of exasperation. But Rose can't help the twitching of her lips signaling that she wants to smile. "And this is Alberta Petrov, Dimitri's aunt."

Once again, Rose is curious to find out the past of the man that has ruined her life forever. Both Alberta and Rose nod to each other in acknowledgement but say nothing otherwise. The way Rose is watching Alberta, eyebrows furrowed and pursed lips, unsettles both werewolves. Alberta, clearly the most uncomfortable, looks away while Mason clears his throat demanding Rose's attention.

"If there is anything you desire, milady, Alberta and I will do our best to obtain it for you."

"I do not suppose you could give me my freedom could you?" Rose raises her left eyebrow at the young werewolf.

"He taught you how to do that, did he not?" Alberta smirks as she watches Rose's arched eyebrow.

"Yes," Rose whispers stunned that Alberta guessed right. It had taken Rose ages to learn to arch her eyebrow the way he did it. She had almost quit after the death of her mother. The simple act of trying to move her eyebrow made her think of the beast, and it hurt entirely too much. However during the first few months of her training to be a huntress, she found that practicing to raise her eyebrow took her mind off everyone insulting her.

Alberta smiles fondly as she seems to travel back in time, to a faraway era. "He was always teasing Vika…"

"What are you doing?" Dimitri roars cutting off Alberta, which of course annoys Rose because she had been hanging on to her every word curious to learn more.

"Entertaining the prisoner," Rose snaps back not liking one bit the way he talks to his own aunt. On her part, Alberta shrinks away from Dimitri as the anger of her Alpha hits her. "That is why you appointed them as my personal jailers, is it not?" Mason smirks at being called a jailer.

"This is not the time for entertaining anyone," Dimitri says through his teeth. "We have to move. Now."

"And you could not say so politely?" Rose rolls her eyes and turns to Alberta. "Men are crude pigs, and yet they rule us." She finishes with a sigh earning a small smile from Alberta.

"If you are done," Dimitri snaps exasperated. "I would like to move on…"

"I would like to go home, but we cannot all have what we want, can we?" Rose glares with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Move!" Dimitri snaps before turning away and beginning to walk north with his werewolves on his tail.

"Crude," Rose mutters but knows she will follow anyway because what choice does she have? She could tie herself to a tree and wait for the rogue werewolves to descend upon her or Adrian to show up with reinforcements. But Dimitri might just uproot the tree and carry it to where he wants to with Rose tied along to it.

Mason extends his hand out to her as he bows again. "Milady."

"I can walk on my own, thank you." She says as she stomps away from him and Alberta. Rose only takes five steps when she trips over a thick root and falls on her knees. Up ahead, Dimitri lets out a loud growl, and Mason rushes forward to help his Alpha's woman up. "I do not need your help." She slaps Mason's hands away as she gets up.

Before following after her, Alberta and Mason share a look of amusement but also worry. While the wolves know of the curse and what it will take to break it, they don't know the identity of Rose. They don't know she was predicted to break the curse. But Mason and Alberta can already guess what Dimitri's obsession with Lady Mazur must be. And that makes them extremely nervous, for she is stubborn and will not change her view of Dimitri as a beast any time soon.

"A match made in heaven," Mason sighs as he follows after Rose, who has tripped again. Alberta nods in agreement because Dimitri is extremely stubborn as well. A better pair couldn't have been made.

To Rose, it feels like they have been walking for days, but it has only been several hours. When she started the treacherous trek through the forest, Rose had stumbled several times. Now due to her exhaustion, she can barely keep herself upright, but she's much too proud to allow Mason or Alberta to help her. The three of them lag behind the group causing Dimitri to stop several times and shout at Mason and Alberta to throw Rose over their shoulders and move faster. But Dimitri doesn't know that every time either of the two werewolves approaches her, she hisses dangerously.

Once again, Rose stops and leans forward with her hands on her knees breathing heavily. Mason jumps from one rock to another easily and stops next to her. The huntress glares murderously at the young werewolf for his ability to not tire easily. Alberta, who walks ahead, stops once she realizes that her charge and companion have stopped, again. With a sigh, Alberta returns to Rose's side. Not once have they let the huntress out of their sight because, one, Dimitri would really rip their heads off, and second for fear that the rogue werewolves will try to snatch Rose as their dinner.

"Lady Mazur," Alberta begins cautiously and rather annoyed. "I suggest, again, that you let Mason or me carry you."

"No," Rose snaps still breathless while waving Alberta off. "I am very much capable of walking."

Alberta and Mason share a look. He shrugs.

"Anyway," Rose begins nonchalantly as she resumes her slow trek. "What were you saying about… Dimitri?" Saying his name is odd for her. He was always comrade and after the death of her mother, he became 'the beast' or 'Belikov'.

Neither of the werewolves says anything for a while as they continue to walk and keep an eye on the huntress. They know better than to speak of Dimitri's past because he hates it. He hates to relive how it all started. But maybe talking to Rose about Dimitri's past might help her have a different outlook on him.

"He had a sister," Alberta begins quietly and cautiously after exchanging another meaningful look with Mason. "Well, he had three. All beautiful girls that loved him…" Alberta trails off as a sad look replaces the small smile that had appeared on her lips when she started speaking of the girls. On the other hand, Rose stays quiet, taking everything in.

"Dimitri used to tease the youngest, Viktoria," Mason continued. "She wanted him to teach her how rise a single eyebrow. He would laugh at the faces she would make." He chuckled along with Alberta as they remembered Viktoria scrunching her face, her groans of frustration, and Dimitri's booming laughter.

The huntress watched the werewolves carefully as their faces shifted again from fondness and amusement to pure sadness. She bit her lip and fisted her hands at her sides to stop the urge to reach out and comfort them. In her training years, Stan drilled into her head to never pity the beasts, never hesitate, and never consider their feelings because they had none. He had told her to never hesitate to kill the beast because if they are given the chance, they will kill her. _It is you or them, _Stan had said during their sword fighting practices. But so far, they hadn't hurt her. Granted, they had orders to protect her, but they looked very human to her right now. Obviously the past seemed to hurt too much to recall, and Rose could relate to that. However, her curiosity won over her compassion.

"What happened to them?" She asks quietly. Of course something happened to the Belikovas; something that Rose could only guess at.

Alberta shrugs. "They died of old age, I suppose. We left ages ago."

"Oh." Is all Rose can say because she thought Dimitri had killed them. She feels a small pang of guilt over thinking the worst of the beast, but she can hardly be blamed. The beasts have ripped innocent children apart, why wouldn't he rip his own family apart?

"He loved them," Mason, seeming to read her mind, says fiercely. "He made mistakes, but he loved them."

Before Rose could argue or ask any further questions, Dimitri joined them annoyance written all over his face while Ivan trails closely behind him. "You are delaying us." Dimitri accuses Rose, who only glares at him and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Pardon me, sir." She snaps quite annoyed herself. "I am human, and I have limitations."

"I know," Dimitri sighs as if being human is her problem. "We will make a stop at Ploiești. It should not be too far. However, at the pace we are traveling, we will never reach it before nightfall." A smirk that Rose does not like even if it makes him look younger, more carefree, less monster and more human, appears on Dimitri's lips. "Milady, I must carry you."

She growls as her cheeks redden with the mere idea of Dimitri carrying her and feeling his strong muscles under her small frame… "Did I not tell you not to touch me, ever? I dare you to touch me again, beast."

"I find your bravery quite endearing, but we have no time for that." The Alpha werewolf shakes his head for he knew that would be her answer. Of course that had been the only reason he suggested the idea anyway: To upset her. "Mason will carry you." He turns to Alberta. "Ivan and you will join us. Arthur will run ahead with the others and wait in Moscow."

As Alberta nods in understanding, Rose can't help but frown. Moscow? Where exactly are they going? Why Russia? Sure, that's where Dimitri is from, but Rose was hoping they wouldn't be going so far. Before the huntress can question Dimitri's decision to go to Russia, he turns around and begins to walk hastily again with Alberta and Ivan on his heels. Mason clears his throat and bows low again.

"Milady," Rose can hear the amusement in his voice and can picture a smirk on his lips. "I have orders from the Alpha to carry you the rest of the travel."

She swallows loudly as her heart beats faster. Even though she hates Dimitri, she can trust him to never hurt her, physically at least. His confession that he needs her is the only reassurance she will get that he won't just kill her. But Mason is entirely different. She doesn't know him, and while she might like him, which is hard for Rose to admit because she hates all beasts, she can't help but picture him sinking his teeth into her flesh and ripping it.

"You have my word, milady, that I will not harm you," Mason, once again seeming to read her mind, says solemnly while looking into her eyes. "If I do, Dimitri will kill me." He grimaces clearly picturing his Alpha peeling off his skin.

"Please do keep your fantasies to yourself," Rose tries to mask her fear with humor as Mason pulls her up in his arms with the back of her knees resting on his left arm and her back on his right.

"I will keep them to myself," he grins as he runs effortlessly to catch up to Dimitri and the others. "I am not stopped from having them, am I?"

Rose clings to his neck as she laughs for two reasons. One, she is genuinely amused by the red headed werewolf. He keeps her mind off Adrian, and the stupid decision she made to let him go. She should have tried to escape with him. Now her future is uncertain in Russia at the hands of the werewolves. As they walked through Codrii Vlăsiei, Mason made jokes at Rose's expense about how clumsy she was. Even though she hates to admit it, she doesn't hate Mason. She does however hate who he is which brings her to her second reason for laughing: She is nervous.

She is nervous because she is in the arms of a werewolf. He could easily sink his teeth into her flesh and feed off of her. As he runs, practically prancing from one place to another, images of teeth ripping her flesh flash through her mind. How quickly she went from being an easy prey to huntress to prisoner to easy prey again. The best way to hide her raging emotions is by laughing them off and acting flippant as she always does in moments like these.

Soon enough, Mason with Rose in his arms catches up to Dimitri, who turns to briefly glare at Mason for making Rose laugh with the inappropriate remark about fantasizing about her. The young werewolf, however, ignores Dimitri and moves ahead. Still glaring at the back of Mason's head, Dimitri picks up his pace. He had heard how easily Mason and Rose interacted as they walked, and the Alpha didn't like it one bit. For a second, the idea that Mason might be the man Yeva saw in Rose's future latches onto his brain poisoning him against his right hand man. No. He can't be. What if he is?

"That expression," Alberta begins with some amusement in her voice. "I have never seen it on your face."

"What expression?" He grunts absentmindedly as he keeps considering the idea of Mason and Rose… together.

"That." She smirks as she follows Dimitri's unwavering sight from Mason talking quietly with Rose. "Jealousy. You are jealous of Mason."

"Ridiculous." Dimitri scoffs but looks away from Mason and Rose anyway. "Why would I be jealous? She is mine. I won."

Alberta frowns. "What have you won exactly? She is not a trophy."

Dimitri says nothing because he had considered Rose as a trophy, a trophy he won from Ivashkov. But maybe Alberta is on to something. Why does Dimitri hate that Adrian and Rose love each other? Why does he hate the mere idea of Mason and Rose together? Because he doesn't want Rose to love anyone else but him. With that in mind, Dimitri stalks forward towards Mason up ahead.

"I will take her from here," the Alpha says with a firmness and finality to his voice that leaves no room for argument from either Mason or Rose.

As Mason hands her over to the Russian jailer though, Rose begins to squirm away. Dimitri's arms though are strong enough to hold her in place as he moves forward ahead of the group. As Dimitri walks, Rose can't help appreciate the firmness of his biceps and chest... She shakes her head trying to get rid of the venomous thought. He is the enemy. He is _her _enemy and _jailer. _He is keeping her away from her loved ones; away from the man she loves.

"You are thinking of him," Dimitri says through his teeth.

"What makes you think so?"

"You sighed rather dramatically. I must say milady that he does not deserve your sadness or tears." _As neither do I, _he finishes bitterly in his head. "If he loved you, he would not have left so easily. He would have laid down his life for you."

"What do you know about love?" Rose snaps as she digs her nails into his shoulder. He, however, seems unfazed. "You do not feel love. You do not feel _anything_."

Abruptly, Dimitri sets Rose down. The sudden movement causes Rose to stumble a bit but not fall as Dimitri grabs her right elbow gently but firmly steading her. He follows to straighten her up and pulls her against his chest. They look into each other's eyes as if the other is a puzzle that needs to be sorted out. The beast wonders what she knows of love. He wonders if she can teach him; if there's a possibility that one day she will feel that unknown emotion for him and he for her. The beauty wonders if he has ever even experienced love. Perhaps that's the reason he doesn't understand that love is the strongest emotion anyone can feel even greater than hate. She wonders if she can teach him; if he even deserves it.

Dimitri's eyes travel from her nose to her lower lip caught between her teeth. Her lips look delectable and soft, as always. Before she stops him, he leans down and brushes his lips against hers. A feeling compared to being on fire starts on their lips and spreads all the way down to their toes. Startled by the burning feeling and the sudden erratic beating of her heart, Rose jumps away from him and stares wide eyed at the motionless werewolf. Recovering from the kiss, she wipes her mouth roughly with the back of her hand until her lips are red and raw.

"I told you not to touch me!" She shrieks trying to shove him, but it's like she's trying to move a mountain. "_Do not touch me again_!"

Dimitri lets her walk away from him in the direction of Ploiești, an unprotected and small town no werewolf bothers with. He can't figure out why his and her hearts are beating in sync, both rapidly and erratically. He can't explain to himself why her mouth is like poison. A poison that is slowly killing him as he longs for more but knows he can't and shouldn't have; not if he wants to be free. Because if he lets himself care for her, only to lose her in the end to break his curse, that will kill him. It is then that Dimitri Belikov realizes that he is not immortal after all, and he is not the only one. A pair of red eyes watched from the highest and thickest tree as Dimitri kissed the woman. The red eyes follow Dimitri and his group of loyal mutts as they chase after the woman, or as Isaiahnow likes to think of her: Dimitri's weakness.

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**Love me now? The kiss wasn't like passionate and full of love, but you can see that Rose and Dimitri are seriously conflicted. And yes, there's a bad guy in this story (you thought it was Adrian? Naw, well sorta) :P Also, I know lots of you are saying how slow this story is going, but seriously, I don't want to rush it. I have promised a Rose and Dimitri story, and I will deliver. So, what I'm tryna say is… Chillax! Sit back and enjoy the angst and drama before we get to the romance (hey that sorta rhymed!) Kay, I'm out, literally passed out. **

**Oh, wait! Updates might get a bit spaced out for the next week or so. This time is not because I'm lazy! I am moving, and I got like a bunch of shit to pack and move, so sorry! I'll update ASAP! Scout's honor. **


	17. Zmey

**AN: Thank you for all the reviews, favs, and follows! You do love me! Unfortunately, this chapter doesn't have RxD time… But don't hate me yet! Something really awesome, and exciting, happens at the end of this chapter. And if you leave me some love, or lots, next chapter I'll give you: Dimitri's story ;) **

**BTW **Nance-chan** informed me that Beauty and the Beast has been nominated for best VA Fanfic of 2012! I am so thankful if you guys nominated B&B, even after my slacking! I don't know how the voting will go down so check out **Nance-chan's **profile** **for info, and I will do the same! Thank you so much again! :D**

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Adrian was too heartbroken to make it to Istanbul, where he would relay the news of Rose's capture to Abe, so he decided to stop in Bucharest. Even as the tears stream down his cheeks, Adrian can only think of one thing, as he pushes Oscar beyond its limits, to kill Dimitri and bring Rose back, no matter the cost. The walls of the Dragomir household come into view as the sun begins to set and a light afternoon breeze makes the deep emerald flags with the Dragomir emblem, the ferocious and strong dragon, dance high up in the towers. When Adrian skids to a stop in front of the main gate, several Guardians pacing along the stone walls stop and point their crossbows at the disheveled and unrecognizable lord.

No one has ever seen Adrian in such conditions: Clothes ripped, bloodied, bruised, and exhausted. After every fight against the beasts, many hunters, Guardians and even Rose like to parade through town exhausted and bloodied to reassure the citizens that they are fighting the good battle. Adrian, on the other hand, takes his time to bathe and change into elegant, expensive, and most often silk clothes. Today, however, none of that matters to him.

"Who goes there?" One of the Guardians shouts.

"Adrian," the young man chokes out as he discreetly wipes his eyes with his dirty, torn shirt sleeve.

"Lord Ivashkov?" The Guardian exclaims clearly dubious of the identity of the ragged man riding Lady Mazur's horse.

"Yes!" The anger of his incompetence and failure to save Rose comes full force, and the silly formality of his introduction makes Adrian snap. Do they not realize the urgency of the situation? If he delays any longer, the beasts will move further away or, even worst, hurt Rose. "I am Lord Ivashkov, and I demand you open this gate immediately or face my wrath!"

The Guardian does not argue with Lord Ivashkov and barks orders to the other Guardians to lower their weapons and open the gate. He scurries down to meet Adrian with pink cheeks and stammering out apologies which Adrian ignores.

"Tend to Rose's horse." Is all Adrian says before running towards the main castle to inform Eric of the recent event.

When he shoves the heavy yet intricately decorated door of the Dragomir castle open, Adrian finds Lissa and Andre passing back and forth in the colossal foyer. Lissa stops pacing and snaps her head in the direction of Adrian. Her jade green eyes trimmed with worry widen in shock and terror at the sight of a very battered Adrian. The young lord staggers forward and throws his arms around Lissa and hides his tears on her shoulder. She hugs him tightly and keeps him up despite his weight.

"Adrian," Lissa begins softly after a while. "What has happened to you?"

The only response she gets from the young hunter is a choked sob as his body trembles violently. Worried, Lissa meets her brother's eyes, a mirror of jade green and worry.

"I will fetch father," Andre murmurs and hurries towards Eric's study, where he locked himself up with his close advisor Robert Doru to plan a search party if Rose doesn't return by nightfall.

"Adrian, please." Lissa whispers trying to coax Adrian into telling her what has happened to him. The last she heard, he was in Serbia with the Dashkovs then he would return to Budapest to prepare Tatiana for Rose's visit and the news of Belikov's escape. What happened that left him with a swollen and purple right eye, a split and bloodied lip, and several broken ribs.

Worried for his health, Lissa begins to slowly steer Adrian towards the kitchen. By the time they reach the kitchen, Adrian has stopped trembling but cannot stop the tears from falling silently leaving a path down his dirt covered cheeks. With the help of Mia, Lissa manages to sit Adrian down and demands a goblet of ale, clean cloth and warm water to tend to his wounds. The goblet of ale is thrust into Adrian's limp hands on his lap. Without hesitation, he downs the drink closing his eyes as the liquid warms his throat and quickly demands more as Lissa cleans his wounds.

Since a younger age, Adrian has been a heavy drinker. At first, drinking was to have fun at parties and carnivals. When his younger sister, Meredith, died and their mother went insane, Adrian doubled the drinking. Then Rose came along, and he knew he had to be better in order to be with her, so he stopped drinking so heavily. After his parents were killed by the beasts, he fell off the wagon and no one seemed to blame him. He knew, however, that deep inside everyone judged him as if expecting him to be strong and fight the despair and loss just like he fights the beasts. But there's only so much a person can take and losing Rose seems to be his limit.

"Lord Ivashkov," Eric gasps as he takes in the sight of Adrian. "What has happened?"

Before recounting the events that lead to Rose leaving with Belikov, Adrian downs the fifth goblet of ale. With a dead and empty voice, Adrian retells the events from the attack at Serbia to the blow to his head and losing consciousness only to wake up and being face to face with the devil himself. Then he tells them how Rose showed up out of nowhere and gave her life up for him.

"The note." Lissa finally comprehends why Rose left so abruptly after receiving the note earlier that morning. "She was so pale and about to faint; she took off abruptly."

"And no one thought of following her?" Adrian shouts staggering to his feet and slamming the goblet on the table. "How could you just let her go alone?"

Lissa cringes at Adrian's harsh tone while Andre steps forward pulling Lissa away to a safe distance. Losing someone he loves, Andre knows, can unhinge a man. Still to Andre that's no excuse to speak to his sister that way or blame them for Rose's decision.

"I followed after her," Andre replies through his teeth as he takes personal offense to Adrian's insinuation. Rose is like a sister to Andre just as much as Lissa. "I lost her in Codrii Vlăsiei. She never showed us what was in the note. If we had known we would have gathered and army and gone with her."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Adrian returns to his chair and covers his face with his hands.

"There is no time to lose disputing," Eric says patiently, though the news of Rose in the claws of Belikov have shocked and terrified him, he knows there's work to be done in order to rescue her. "We must gather as many Guardians as possible and inform Abe. Lord Ivashkov, help yourself to food and rest. We will-"

"No." Once again Adrian stands up again with determination written all over his face though he sways due to exhaustion and the many goblets of ale he has consumed. "I will inform Abe; I am responsible for the capture of his daughter. Send someone to inform my aunt. We will need reinforcements."

Knowing there's no point in arguing and losing more precious time, Eric sends for Mikhail. Still wearing the same battered clothes but less bloodied, Adrian sets out with Mikhail and several other Guardians to Istanbul. Andre is sent to inform Lady Tatiana while Lissa sets out with Eric to Bulgaria and earn the support of the Ozeras.

The news of Rose's capture at the hands of the beasts spreads like wildfire to even the most remote places in Europe. Many cannot believe rumors, for who could capture the fierce and deadly huntress? It must be all a misunderstanding! However, many claim to have seen Rose traveling with a mysterious group heading in the direction of Moldova while others claim they have seen her in Slovakia. By the time Adrian arrives at Istanbul by mid-morning the next day, servants of the Mazur household whisper among themselves that Rose is rumored to have been found dead near a river in Ukraine.

Abe quickly dismisses such rumors when they reach his ears. Like many others, he finds it hard to believe that his daughter full of fire and life would just simply cease to breathe. Besides, Rose was in Bucharest with the Dragomirs; Eric would never let anything happen to her. When Pavel announces the arrival of Adrian, Abe is perplexed. Wasn't Adrian supposed to be in Budapest preparing Tatiana for Rose's visit? How could he return so quickly? With a frown, Lord Mazur nods his head to Pavel granting Adrian permission to enter.

"Lord Ivashkov," Abe frowns as he watches Adrian wince with every step he takes keeping his hands over his ribs. "What has happened to you?"

"Lord Mazur," Adrian pauses unsure of how to continue. "I… I have bad news to deliver…"

Abe rises to his feet and knocks his chair back causing a loud booming noise to bounce off the stone walls of his massive study. "Rose?" His stomach tightens as the whispers of the death of Rose turn into loud screams in his head. Could it be? Could his Rosie be dead?

No one is strong enough to extinguish the life out of Rose. She has always been as headstrong and ferocious as her mother, Janine. Abe refuses to believe that he has lost the only two women he has ever loved. It had to be a nightmare, but Adrian's next words confirm that he is very much awake.

"You have heard?" Adrian winces again not because of the pain on his ribs or several other injuries but because Abe has already heard rumors, which contain some truth. But he wanted to be the one to deliver that truth as gently as he could, if that was even possible.

"What do you mean, Lord Ivashkov?" Abe shouts as his heart races and his hands ball into fists.

"Rose… she…"

"Speak man!" Abe roars running forward and grabbing Adrian by the arms. "What has happened to my daughter?" The old man's brown eyes are wild with pain and anger.

"She has been captured by the beast."

"She has not," Abe shoves Adrian away making him stagger and fall backwards. "She has not." The old man chants over and over as he shakes his head. "How?"

"Lord Mazur," Adrian begins cautiously as he rises to his feet. "Her capture is my fault. The beast attacked the Dashkov household and took me as prisoner. She gave her life for me. I tried to…"

A punch to his jaw immediately silences Adrian. Ivashkov falls on the ground face down and spitting blood as the pain in his ribs increases. Before Abe takes another swing at the battered young man, Pavel and Mikhail restrain Abe. After several more attempts at hurting the young lord, Abe gives up and begins to pace again.

"I should kill you!" Mazur shouts enraged. "I should have you beheaded! Or better yet have you tortured until you beg for mercy! This is your fault. How could you let my daughter be captured by Belikov!"

"I would very much welcome death!" Adrian shouts back shoving Mikhail, who had helped him up, away. "The agony of not knowing whether Rose is alive or not is enough torture! The pain of losing her is killing me slowly. Go ahead, _Zmey_, kill me!"

Abe, of course, has moved on to another thought. The rumors of Rose's death are only that, rumors. There is hope; there is a possibility that his dear daughter is still alive. How will he find her though? Where could the beast be taking her? Belikov has no place of residency. He moves around wherever his bloodlust takes him. A human will not be able to track him down; it took the Guardians eons to finally find the monster in Moscow and even then rumor has it that the Guardians felt like they had not captured him. They confirm that he may have let himself be capture for some unknown reason.

"Human," Abe returns to his earlier thought. "No human can find him."

Clearly excited, Abe rushes to his desk where he grabs a piece of parchment and scribbles a hasty message. "I will not kill you Ivashkov. Not yet. I need you to find my daughter. Pavel, I need Edison Castile."

"My lord," Pavel nods and rushes out to find Eddie, who arrived from Alexandria mere hours before Adrian.

"Mikhail, take Ivashkov to bathe and tend to his wounds." With that, Abe turns his back on them and stares out the window as a small smile plays on his lips.

Before Adrian can protest to Abe's lack of action to finding Rose, Mikhail drags the young man away to be bathed and taken care of. When Eddie enters Abe's study, the old _zmey _is still smiling as he hands Eddie the note he wrote earlier.

"Go to my sister's, Oksana, in Şişli, and deliver this." Abe finishes eagerly. "Be as quick as possible. Do not return without her."

"My lord," Eddie nods and races out leaving Abe smiling wider still and sharing a knowing look with Pavel.

By the morning after Adrian's arrival at Istanbul, Lissa, Eric and Christian arrive to show their support to Abe. The old man merely thanks them and locks himself up in his study where he stares out the window anxiously waiting the return of Eddie. No one makes a comment to Abe's old behavior at first, but by the afternoon, they all begin to wonder if the old man has lost his mind. Why is he not turning the world upside down in search of his only and beloved daughter?

Adrian is the one most on edge. He continues to drink heavily and shout profanities at Rose's father for his lack of worry. Other times he is calm and understanding because he has no idea how to find Rose in the first place. Then there are those damn nightmares plaguing him every time he blacks out. The most unsettling and maddening thing of all is that it is always the same nightmare.

At first, Adrian sees Rose running though the dark woods calling his name. She is soon attacked by a red eyed beast, but before Adrian can do anything, the dream changes and sees Rose smiling lovingly at someone. First time he saw her smile, he thought she was smiling at him, but the second time he realized that Rose never smiled at him that way. There is a glint in her eyes that allows him to see into her soul.

"_Leave her be_," a voice says every time. "_Leave her be. She is happy. She is loved._"

As the voice speaks, Adrian sees Rose in the arms of Belikov, in the arms of the beast. Enraged by the image, Adrian manages to finally become more than spectator. He appears in the dream with the beast at his feet, and Adrian's sword through Belikov's heart. As Adrian begins to smile satisfied that the beast's eyes are lifeless, a blood curling scream filled with pain echoes in his ears. Rose throws herself down next to Dimitri and cries like she has lost her reason for existing. Adding to the horror, Rose pulls the sword out of Dimitri's chest and with it takes her own life.

"Adrian?" Lissa shakes Adrian gently as he lies on the floor, staring at the ceiling with glazed eyes. "Adian?"

"Silence, silence, silence!" Adrian repeats over and over covering his ears as if to shut out the voice repeating the same thing over and over: To leave Rose be. "I will never give up my Little Huntress."

Biting her lip, Lissa turns around to meet Christian's eyes. Christian shrugs for he understands that the losing Rose cannot be easy. He can only imagine how Adrian must be losing his mind. With a sigh, Lissa turns to face Adrian again, but he is by the window covering his eyes and shaking his head.

_Rose is crying. She never cries, not really. What is making her so sad? A hand caresses her cheek wiping her tears away. Rose looks away to hide her pain. Yes, she feels pain. It pains her how much he suffers because she loves him so much that she would give up her life for him… And that is exactly what she will do. From her belt, she unsheathes her sword._

_ "I love you," she says before thrusting the sword into her stomach. She falls forward only to be caught by strong hands that don't belong to Adrian. Dimitri holds Rose in his arms as he howls for the loss of his beauty, the loss of his love. _

"Enough!" Adrian shouts and shakes his head as if to remove the image from his mind. "Enough! Leave me be!"

"_You have the power to change the story,_" the voice shouts louder than Lissa's panicked cries. "_She does not have to die. You can change the story. Will you?_"

After that, Adrian falls into a deep and untroubled sleep. He does not hear the voice or see the same images just darkness. Peaceful darkness. When he awakes, the starry sky greets him followed by a pair of soothingly cold hands. Turning his head to he left, he finds Lissa looking down on him. She gives him a reassuring smile rises to her feet and pours him water into a goblet.

"You gave us quite a scare," her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes anymore. "You kept shouting at Rose to not kill herself."

Adrian doesn't elaborate and drinks thirstily. What he has seen is clearly a product of the ale and his grief. The voice and nightmares are not important, but even as he says those words to himself, he has the strange feeling that the voice is telling him the truth. Still, there is no point in worrying Lissa or anyone else for that matter.

"Has Abe made any suggestions as to how we will find Rose?" Adrian asks instead as he hands Lissa the empty goblet back.

"No," she sighs knowing better than to push Adrian. He will talk when he is ready. "He keeps staring out the window, smiling and waiting for Eddie. I am afraid he has lost his mind." She eyes Adrian worriedly as if wondering he also has lost his mind.

"Perhaps we always have been lost." He whispers wondering whether his mother knew she was lost or not.

Before Lissa can respond, not that she knew how, Christian bursts through the door and breathlessly announces that Eddie has returned with company. The three of them race to Abe's study and arrive just before Eddie. Lord Mazur is waiting with his arms behind his back and a happiness that is odd for the situation. Adrian notices so immediately and is unable to hold his tongue.

"Why are you so elated, _zmey_?" Ivashkov says bitterly through his teeth. "Your daughter is with the beasts. I thought you would be moving the oceans and the heavens to find her."

"I will find her," Abe replies calmly as voices are heard out in the hallway.

"We are wasting time! She must be miles away by now!" Adrian shouts ignoring the door opening behind him.

"Distance does not matter now," Abe steps forward and hugs a woman with strawberry-blonde hair. "Oksana, it has been a long time."

"Yes, brother, it has." Oksana replies stepping aside to let her husband, Mark, greet Abe.

After they greet each other, a cloaked figure steps inside. The person keeps his or her face concealed until Abe steps forward with a delighted grin on his face and glint in his eyes.

"A very long time indeed," the old man carefully removes the hood. "My love."

"Janine?" Eric gasps as Abe and his 'dead' wife embrace and share a brief yet loving kiss. "How? What is this?"

Unable to speak, Abe lets Janine explain. "Abe could not let me burn. He ordered Pavel and Stan to replace my body with that of an unknown woman. I was sent to live with Oksana and Mark, who have been generously keeping me under lock and key during the tough nights."

"Tough nights?" Lissa chokes out through her own shock. When she saw Abe reveal Janine, the room began to spin as if she were about to faint. Briefly, Lissa recalls Yeva's prediction of a dead person coming back into Rose's life. That person has to be Janine. If one of Yeva's predictions has come true, then that means that Adrian is not Rose's true love. Oh the pain that is sure to come…

"Yes," Janine smiles sheepishly interrupting Lissa's thoughts. "I am werewolf."

"And with her abilities she will help us find Rose." Abe announces proudly and lovingly.

"_Zmey _has done it again," Adrian murmurs in awe while the old man merely smiles wider.

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**Sorry for the delay of this update! I am officially addicted to **_**Bones.**_** Anyway, did you expect Janine to be alive?! And what is up with those weird dreams Adrian is having? Next up: Dimitri's curse, if you want of course.**

**P.S. Would anyone be interested in beta'ing B&B? I usually check for mistakes but by the time I'm done writing, I'm kinda tired so I tend to miss some things. PM or review if interested!**


	18. His Curse

**AN: Sorry for the delay of this update. I know you don't care, but a lot has happened. I got a job, which sucks, I was in a car accident, which sucked even more, and I sprained my wrist at work. So sorry. Hopefully this lengthy chapter will make up for my absence? To my beta, so sorry I didn't wait for you to review. I am too excited! However, I do dedicate this chapter to you. For all your encouragement and reminders to get to work! Thank you, **ComradeInLOVE**. And now… Chapter 18.**

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They have been traveling for days. Rose is annoyed at how long the journey is becoming. Where the hell could the beast be taking her? Why doesn't he just get it over with? Whatever '_it'_ is. At Ploiești, Dimitri stole three horses: One for Rose, Mason and Dimitri. Ivan and Alberta have been traveling at a safe distance in their wolf form. Sometimes Mason exchanges places with Alberta or Ivan. Those are the times Rose hates her fate the most. As much as she hates to admit it, Mason entertains her and keeps her from thinking of her dark past, despairing present and uncertain future.

Three days after Adrian departed and Dimitri kissed her, Rose finds herself riding her horse ahead of the others. Dimitri called on Mason to discuss some things, what those are Rose doesn't care. She just wants Mason to return and amuse her because her thoughts are going to dangerous places such as her future among the beasts. What will happen once they reach their destination? Will Dimitri have his way with her then kill her? Will he make her one of them? And the most important question of all: Will she see her loved ones again?

Before she begins to despair again, Rose shakes her head and takes a loud and long deep breath. Her sigh of sadness doesn't go unnoticed by Mason riding next to Dimitri. After spending so much time with her, Mason has come to realize that something is bothering her. Something other than the fact that she misses her family and fiancé. He doesn't know what happened outside Ploiești: The kiss. That small touch of their lips hasn't left Rose's mind, much to her dismay. How can the beast make her feel on fire? Why does a part of her crave for another kiss? She closes her eyes tightly and recalls a memory of Adrian and her together trying to push away all thoughts of Belikov.

As Rose struggles with her waging emotions, Dimitri feels the need to finally confide in Mason about the kiss. Despite being called a "God" by many women ages ago, Dimitri suddenly feels insecure as a man, and Mason could probably provide some… comfort or at least advice on how to romance a woman. Because Dimitri has finally realized that what he must do is, well, romance Rose. But it has been a long time since he has had contact with women, other than ripping their flesh with his teeth. He didn't expect Mason to laugh.

"I must have heard you wrong," Mason says while trying and failing to control his laughter. "You did what?"

Dimitri sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"I kissed her." Dimitri repeats with a shake of his head.

Mason shakes his head and chuckles quietly. Finally he understands why Rose had been avoiding all questions about Dimitri and their past together.

"You must be important," Mason had said to Rose earlier that day. "For Dimitri to go to all this trouble just to get you."

Rose had shrugged and looked ahead, avoiding the prying blue eyes of the redheaded werewolf.

"I mean," Mason had continued carefully knowing that once he started asking personal questions, Rose would shut down and not speak at all only stare at the road ahead. That had happened several times when Mason would ask about her life in Istanbul. "He needs a beauty, and you are obviously very beautiful…"

"He needs a beauty?" Rose had turned her head immediately to her right where Mason was grimacing knowing he had slipped and said too much. "Why does he need a beauty?" She had frowned deeply as images, all non-too pleasant, flashed through her mind.

"He needs you," Mason continued cautiously with a frown of his own. He knew it was imperative to keep the curse to themselves, and he didn't know exactly what he was saying. The wolves didn't know the importance of Rose, but they could guess. "He has been searching for you for over two hundred years. I believe you should give him the opportunity to explain himself."

"What does he need to explain?" The huntress sighed deeply in exasperation at being clueless. She looked up to the streaming light of the sinking sun through the foliage of Chisinau, Moldova. "What do I even care? What does _he _have to do with _me_? Why me?" She had turned back to Mason with pleading eyes. Someone needed to explain the mystery of Dimitri's obsession to have her. If she knew, she could maybe put a stop to all the pain.

Mason had looked apologetically to her before looking away then decided to hell with it. Maybe the whole secrecy Dimitri had going on was the wrong approach. Maybe Rose _needed _to know then make the choice for herself. Despite Rose's fierce and badass demeanor, everyone knows she rushes to help those in need. Her compassion is well known, though maybe not spoken of often for fear the huntress will behead them for making her look soft.

"The curse…" Mason had begun almost in a hurry that Rose had to lean towards him.

That was when Dimitri snapped out of his deep thoughts regarding the kiss of a few days ago. He called Mason back and with a groan of frustration Rose picked up her pace closely followed by Ivan and Alberta in wolf form. Mason, on the other hand, grimaced as he feared the wrath of Dimitri. However, the young werewolf was taken by surprise when Dimitri began to recount the incident outside Ploiești.

"Mason," Dimitri calls his young companion back to the present and the important matter of how to romance Rose. "I need…"

The Alpha pauses. He has never asked for help. Everything his wolves have done for him such as sacrificing their humanity for him, even though Dimitri knows he doesn't deserve, they have done it without his asking. Usually when something needs to be done, he uses his power as Alpha to have it done. This is another matter entirely different. For two hundred and twenty nine years, Dimitri has not had contact with women. The bloodlust over powers desire which now that he thinks about it, how will Mason know any better? He is just like him, at a loss when it comes to the women of this era. To add to that, Rose is not any woman, she is a feisty huntress. Though deep inside, there must be a soft side for Ivashkov did manage to capture her heart.

"Dimitri?" It is Mason's turn to bring Dimitri back from the depths of his mind. "What do you need? You know I will do anything… We all would. All you have to do is ask."

The Alpha nods unsure of what to say. Even though he will never admit it out loud, Dimitri is glad to have Mason by his side just as much as he has Ivan and Alberta.

"I need to make her love me," Dimitri says with a jerk of his head towards Rose ahead of them. "She is the one."

"That is… very romantic of you, Dimitri." Mason snickers while inside he is proud of himself for guessing right: Rose is the beauty.

"Do not mock me." Dimitri growls. "You know I mean she is the one who will break the curse. She will set me free."

"You cannot make her love you," Mason sighs as if Dimitri is a child who can't comprehend why stealing is bad. "Allow me to reiterate," he amends quickly when Dimitri glares murderously at the young werewolf. "Love is not forced. It simply happens. Try being kind, be less…"

"Of a beast." Dimitri finishes for Mason with a sigh of his own. "I do not know how to do that. In case you have not noticed, I am a beast. We all are."

"Not always," Mason protests with a pout. "You are not a beast now. You are not ripping anyone apart or threatening to rip anyone apart. Be human."

Human. What the hell is that? Two centuries. It has been two centuries since Dimitri was human. And that didn't go so well. Yet, he recalls the unusual feeling Rose brings upon him: The feeling of not being a monster. She brings out a dormant side of him. Yes, recently she has done nothing but annoy him and make matters far more difficult then they need to be such as refusing to eat when they first stopped at Ploiești to eat and rest.

"Starve to death then!" Dimitri had roared as he threw Rose's plate against a wall.

"Why, I will!" She had replied then stomped away from him to a corner to sleep.

But then there were those tender moments from her youth. When she would smile and not be afraid of him. When he didn't need to scare her; when he didn't _want_ to scare her. Then there was the kiss. She had made him feel so alive like he had never felt before not even when he could feel his powerful claws rip through the flesh of his enemies. How can the simplest touch of her lips confuse him so? Before he begins to recall the feeling of holding her warm and small figure against his chest, Dimitri shakes his head and turns to Mason.

"So I just act kind?" Dimitri nods in understanding. "I am capable of doing so." He frowns. "How?"

"How about offer an anecdote of your past? When she sees you are not just a beast… I see, terrible idea." The young werewolf adds hastily upon seeing Dimitri's famous death glare. "I should not even suggest you tell her about the curse then?"

"I cannot do that and you know so," Dimitri replies pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No, I did not know so!" Mason scoffs. "Why not? Part of the curse?" When Dimitri nods, Mason runs a hand through his messy redhead. "See, if you did not keep secrets… I almost told her!"

"You what?" Dimitri pulls the horse to a halt in order to fully turn to glare at Mason. "Do not speak to her about the curse! I forbid you, Ivan or Alberta from telling her. If you do, everything goes to hell. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Mason swallows loudly. Sure, he is the only one who can get away with teasing Dimitri, but there are times when even the playful werewolf knows to not cross his Alpha. "I apologize… I did not…"

Dimitri takes a deep, cleansing breath and waves his hand in the air dismissing Mason's apology because Mason is correct. If only Dimitri told them everything Rhonda said, there wouldn't be risks.

"I will explain," the Alpha says quietly and glancing at Rose, who is leaning forward whispering to her old horse. "When we found her, she read my fortune when she denied my demand to break the curse." Dimitri speaks quietly and rapidly his Russian accent becoming thick. He makes sure to leave out the part where he got to his knees begging for release from the curse. "She foresaw _her_, the beauty who would set me free." Both werewolves recall Dimitri's fervent search through every town, looking at all the maidens for the beauty. None of them came close to the otherworldly beauty Rhonda said the girl would possess. "Until I saw her five years ago. I saw her and I knew, I felt… something." Dimitri finishes unable to explain the strange connection he felt when he heard Rose sing her lullaby then saw her with his own eyes.

"Why cannot she know about the curse?"

"Rhonda said the girl must love me, not pity me. If Rose were to know of the curse, she might pity me instead of love me. Besides, I would rather keep the first transformation in the shadows. As you know, I am not proud of that night." Dimitri's eyes cloud with regret, pain and hatred.

Mason remains silent for a while, then nods. "She will not hear from us about the curse but what if she were to find out on her own?"

Dimitri takes a moment to reply as the memory of that first change comes back to him. With all his strength, he pushes the memory aside for later. "It will be her decision whether she wishes to help or leave. I will not stop her from leaving if she chooses so. All part of the terms Rhonda set forth."

Once again silence settles between them. The only noise is Rose's fast whispering to the horse in Turkish.

"Rose told me her horse is sick," a triumphant smile begins to spread on Mason's lips as an idea occurs to him. "She said she could feel the illness in her. It is something odd she picked up after an accident where Lissa, that is Lady Dragomir, and her where playing on the roof of the stables. They were six when Rose fell off. Apparently, she should not have survived because the landing would have broken her neck. Anyway, she says she feels when people and animals are close to death."

Dimitri frowns wondering if there is some witch blood in Rose. That could come in handy. Perhaps she could break the curse? The thought is crushed immediately by the image of Rose falling and breaking her neck. The image constricts his heart oddly as he thinks of her not breathing, not smiling, not living.

"What do I care about that?" Dimitri grunts trying to hide just how much it affects him to know Rose has brushed death's cloak before and that has left a mark in her.

Mason sighs exasperated at his Alpha's inability to follow the most brilliant idea Mason has ever had. "Go ask her if everything is all right."

Dimitri begins to growl at the audacity of the command, but he soon picks up on the devious grin on his companion's face. Needing no further command, Dimitri steers his horse forward and catches up to Rose easily. She is still leaning forward murmuring to the panting horse. He can tell she is purposely ignoring him. However, for the moment, Dimitri does not mind. He enjoys listening to her voice speaking rapidly in Turkish, which Dimitri can only speak a bit of. The werewolf manages to pick up on Rose telling the horse everything is all right.

"Can I help you?" Rose asks curtly without looking up at Dimitri and continuing to gently stroke the horse's neck.

A curt remark is on Dimitri's lips, but he remembers his mission and instead clears his throat. "Is… is everything all right?" He is surprised by how nonthreatening he sounds.

Rose also picks up on the strange tone of the beast, who has done nothing else but snap at every one. With a frown, she straightens up and meets Dimitri's eyes. As she frowns, she tries to decipher his emotion and intentions. However, Rose has come to realize that Dimitri is an expert at keeping his feelings deep within. The chocolate pools of the beast's eyes, though, seem to pull her right in, mesmerizing her.

Clearing her throat and looking away before she drowns in him, Rose returns to petting the horse, which is slowing down considerably. "She is dying. I can feel it." With a glare, she turns back to Dimitri. "I tried to tell you. You should not have taken her. This journey will be death of her. Wherever you go, you bring death."

She knows she is being rude because so far the beast has not snapped or been, well, rude to her. However, the huntress finds it easier to be hateful towards the beast. Hate is a familiar emotion she has felt for five years while confusion and possible attraction are entirely newer when she thinks of Dimitri Belikov.

Setting his lips in a hard line, Dimitri turns around and returns to Mason's side leaving Rose questioning what the hell has gotten into him. He should have snapped back. He should have growled and demanded she respect him. He did neither.

"Well?" Mason asks hoping the brief exchange went better than expected though by the looks of Dimitri, that is a far stretch.

"She is infuriating." Dimitri growls. "I tried being kind, and she insults me."

"What did you expect? Did you expect her to melt in your arms and proclaim her love for you already?"

"That would be convenient and save me quite a large amount of time," Dimitri shrugs.

"Go back up there," Mason stifles a snicker knowing that Dimitri is not in the mood for jokes.

"No," the Alpha says firmly. "Forget it. There must be another way."

"Go and ask if there is anything you could do to assist." Mason says just as firmly as Dimitri did earlier.

Grudgingly and after threats to Mason's life, Dimitri returns to Rose's side. She straightens up again but continues to stroke the horse. "What do you want now?"

Taking a deep breath, Dimitri reigns in his temper and attempts to sound polite, however that sounds. "Is there anything I could do for you and… your horse?"

Rose frowns and turns to briefly look at Mason wondering if he is playing some sort of joke on her. The young werewolf looks everywhere but at her which only adds to her suspicion that he put Dimitri up to this.

"I asked you a question," Dimitri snaps exasperated to be waiting on her response.

"I heard you," Rose turns to look at the Alpha again. Disbelieving that something changed him, Rose decides to just go along with whatever is going on. "Perhaps you should let us go. That would make Sonya happy and healthy."

Dimitri blinks several times before bursting into laughter. "Let you go? Not a chance."

"You asked if…" she sighs knowing it had been a far stretch for the beast to let her go. "Maybe some rest would make her feel better. Can we not camp out here? Ribnita is still hours away. We will not arrive there before nightfall."

"The rogues are still following us," Dimitri tries to explain calmly though he is slowly losing his kindness. "Out in the open at night, we are easy preys. We must arrive at Ribnita before night fall. If Sonya cannot make it, we will leave her here, and you ride with me. By the look on your face, you do not approve of that idea, so I suggest you tell Sonya to recover from the illness and gallop."

"You are a monster," Rose shakes her head and narrows her eyes on him. She knew it was too good to be true. He could and would not just move past being a beast from one moment to another. "You have no compassion."

"I have no tolerance, there is a difference."

"I thought you were a mighty werewolf," Rose taunts figuring that this might be the only way to convince him that a rest would make Sonya feel better. That and she wants to delay their travel even more. Perhaps Adrian and her father are following closely with reinforcements. "Are you not the master of all beasts? Are you not all powerful?" She snorts. "You are afraid of the rogues."

Dimitri drops his charade of being kind and growls deeply at the huntress. But she is unfazed. She tries to hide the triumphant smile; if she didn't convince the beast to stop and camp for the night, then she would at least manage to push his buttons and prove he is still very much a brute.

"Of course I am not afraid of the rogues," Dimitri's voice is caught between human and animalistic. "I created those mutts." He continues disdainfully thinking of the rogues and their disgusting love for slaughter. "Mason!"

The redheaded werewolf is at his alpha's side at once. He had been hearing the whole conversation and made a mental note to congratulate Rose on her manipulation of his alpha. "Yes sir?"

"Call on Ivan and Alberta," Dimitri halts his horse causing Rose to do the same. "We are setting camp here. You search for food and wood; take Ivan with you while Alberta searches the perimeter. At the slightest sign of attack, get her out of here." He jerks his head towards Rose. "We will handle the mutts."

"Yes sir," with a salute and nod in Rose's direction, Mason dismounts his horse and runs off to find Alberta and Ivan not too far ahead.

In silence, Dimitri ties his horse to the nearest tree then returns to help Rose off her horse. "I can do dismount a horse on my own." She protests though Dimitri ignores her and grabs her waist gently pulling her off the horse in one movement. Her feet touch the ground lightly making the huntress question how a brute like him can be so graceful yet powerful. Briefly she wonders if he is exactly like that during coitus.

The thought causes her cheeks to redden as her heart beats undoubtedly fast. Dimitri quickly picks up on the sudden change in the rhythm of her heart. He turns to questioningly look at Rose, but she is avoiding his eyes as she leads Sonya to a pile of leaves to rest. Unsure if he should approach the subject of her heart rate, Dimitri decides to believe that she is not completely unaffected by his presence, which brings a satisfied grin to his face. Before he can rub it in her face, Mason returns with Alberta and Ivan, both naked. Without a word, they take out clothes from the bag saddled onto Dimitri's horse.

"Do you not feel shame to be prancing around naked?" Rose asks curiously from where she has Sonya lying down.

"We have grown accustomed to the change," Mason replies sitting near Rose with his legs crossed. "You know clothes are always in the way that is why we shred them when we shift. Clothing restrains our movements. I suggest you try prancing around naked sometime. It is quite liberating." He snickers as Rose merely rolls her eyes at the suggestive tone the wolf has adopted.

Dimitri, though, is not amused. "I thought I gave you and Ivan the mission of finding food and wood." The alpha snaps pulling Mason roughly up by the collar of his shirt.

With a pout, Mason signals with his head to Ivan to follow him. "You may use your imagination." Rose shouts to Mason nonchalantly.

"Pardon?" Mason asks with a frown.

"You may imagine me naked." She turns to grin at Mason all the while feeling Dimitri's death glare on her. She doesn't need super hearing to know that Dimitri is breathing quite heavily. "That will entertain you while you carry out his orders." She winks then turns back to gently petting Sonya.

Mason doesn't dare make a comment, laugh or even meet Dimitri's eyes. Instead, he quickly takes off with Ivan before Dimitri loses it. Alberta soon follows to leave and make sure the rogues are keeping a safe distance between them all. The silence in the air is deafening, or so Rose feels. She doesn't know what possessed her to say those things. She hardly knows Mason, who is a beast nonetheless! It is dangerous of her to become friends with any of them. For one, she will probably have to kill them at some point. Two, they could kill her in the near future. Three, they are beasts! She is supposed to hate them, not befriend them. But she couldn't help herself. The way Dimitri seems to act possessive of her is not right. He has no right to act that way, though it makes her stomach tighten in an odd way.

"Are you interested in Mason?" Dimitri asks out of the blue almost making Rose jump at the sudden noise.

"I am not and never will be," Rose replies indignant.

"Why not?" The beast asks sounding exceptionally interested.

"Because," Rose gets to her feet and turns to glare at Dimitri, who leans against a tree with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. "One, he is a beast. A monster, like you. I have made an oath to kill every single one of you, and I will do so. No matter how much I might like him. Two, I am engaged. I love Adrian. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes," but Dimitri has many more questions to ask. The only reason he asked about Mason was to confirm his suspicion: She won't let go of her hatred easily. Still, she has admitted to liking Mason which brings him to the next question. "You seem to have befriended my right hand man, how is he any different from… Ivan?" _From me, _Dimitri adds silently.

Rose sighs. "I do not know. Mason is… he is kind." She shrugs and sits next to Sonya again. "He is funny. Mason is not you."

"You did not always hate me." Dimitri suddenly appears next to Rose. He is kneeling down but still towers over her. The shadows of the creeping darkness hide his expression but his voice sends shivers down her spine. That desperate and sad tone reminds Rose of the time he asked her to run away with him. But that was before…

"You killed my mother." Rose snaps venomously and rises to her feet.

"I did not!" Dimitri protests rising to his feet as well. "It was the rogues. You know so."

"Yes!" Her voice cracks and Dimitri can see the tears glistening in her eyes. "I know. But because of you the beasts exist. Because of you the rogues killed my mother. I hear rumors that if you die all your beasts return to human. They will be easy to pick and kill. I will behead them all." With that she takes off into the darkness with Dimitri following close by.

"I will look after her," Alberta says from the shadows. She had heard the argument from afar and decided to move closer in case Dimitri or Rose lost it, which would end up in some bloodshed. "She needs some time away from you."

Grudgingly, Dimitri concedes and turns back to join the dying horse. He sits next to Sonya as he breathes heavily trying to calm himself. That woman is infuriating! They both know the rogues and Dimitri are completely different. To judge him based on the rogue's action is just… unfair. Or is it? Dimitri turns to the horse, which is very still barely breathing. Everywhere he goes, he brings death; Rose was right. Whether he played a part in the death of Janine, or even this poor animal, or not, it is because of him that rogues exist; it is because of him that this horse was stolen.

Unconsciously, he lays his hand upon the horse's neck. And the memories seem to rush out unable to stop taking him back over two hundred years ago.

_In the year 992, life was relatively peaceful. At least there were no werewolves roaming the earth. There was however, another kind of evil walking the world: murder. Dimitri Belikov was sixteen when his father was murdered. Lord Belikov of Baia was found the morning of an exceptionally dark winter morning with a knife trusted into his chest and the bed sheets soaked in blood as his eyes stared blankly in shock at the heavens as if he couldn't believe his fate. The culprit was never found, for no guard or servant saw or heard anything out of the ordinary throughout the night leading up to the morning when he was discovered by his wife, Olena Belikova, who was returning from a weekend trip to her mother's in a neighboring town. _

_The entire Belikov household wept the loss of their beloved Lord and the father of three girls and the heir, Dimitri. Still so young at age, everyone believed Dimitri would step up to be as great as his father, who never let his vassals die of hunger or cold. The expectations of Dimitri's promised greatness were not unfounded. He was known for his kindness even going as far as working the fields with the farmers every once in a while. It was also expected that he would take care of his mother and three sisters. _

_Those expectations were quickly reconsidered when Dimitri did not attend the burial of his father. Olena, devastated by the death of her beloved husband, had to face the ordeal on her own mustering strength from deep within to comfort her three daughters. After the burial and banquet set up in honor of Lord Belikov, Olena confronted her son, who was locked up in his newly acquired study drinking heavily. _

"_Dimka?" Olena began cautiously as she entered only to find the room a mess with broken glass and furniture. "What are you doing?" _

"_Drowning my sorrow mother," Dimitri had chuckled maniacally. "I am entitled to grieve are I not?" He chuckled again and took a swing of alcohol. _

_Olena stepped forward angrily and swatted the drink away from his mouth splashing him and her of the intoxicating and foul liquid. "Which is why you had to attend your father's burial! It was the time to make your peace, to say goodbye! Instead, you have been drinking. Do you have any idea of what everyone has been saying? Your people are not the only ones disappointed by the lack of respect to your father. So am I and your sisters. Dimka… Say something!"_

"_Let those poor bastards speak ill of me! I do as I please. I am the lord of this household, and I will order all traitors to be beheaded!"_

_His mother shook her head and let the tears fall freely as she could see her son was grieving deeply. Her husband and son had clashed many times, for Lord Belikov sometimes became violent with Olena. He would always apologize and treat her and the girls to a private feast in which he would entertain them all. Still, Olena knew Dimitri and his father loved each other very much. The loss must be too heavy for him, so she paid no mind to the vicious words of her son. Instead, Olena threw her arms around her son in an attempt to comfort him. She was caught off guard when he shoved her away._

"_Do not touch me! Leave me be!" Dimitri roared throwing the already broken furniture around some more. _

_Startled yet knowing her son needed time to grieve, Olena rose to her feet and left him. Everyone expected Dimitri to attend breakfast the next morning and apologize for his absence at his father's funeral and his rude behavior towards his mother. Dimitri, however, drank even more still locked up in his father's, no Dimitri's study. By the next day, Dimitri still had made no attempt at apologizing to his mother or his people. Olena thought it was time to intervene, again, for the people were beginning to worry about their food supplies for the harsh and cold winter. All in all, they needed their leader, and Olena needed her son. _

_Her attempts at talking to Dimitri were to no avail. He pushed her away every time and demanded more and more alcohol for him and his best friend, Ivan Zeklos. One night, after many weeks of Lord Belikov's murder, things turned for the worst. Olena, desperate and unable to handle the responsibilities of handling the Belikov domain, turned once more to trying to reason with her son. She caught Mason, who delivered Dimitri's growing demands for alcohol, food and women, just outside the doors to Dimitri's study. _

"_I shall deliver the food," Olena said taking the tray of turkey. "Take away the alcohol and send those poor girls home with some gold. This behavior will stop at once!" _

_Determined, she shoved the doors open and found Dimitri and Ivan laughing throwing gold up in the air. The gold should have been destined to buy supplies and build more homes. The horses also needed a new stable, but Dimitri had halted any and all projects. _

"_Eat," Olena said coldly as she dropped the tray brusquely on the table. "Change and go take care of your people. Be a man!" _

"_I am a man," Dimitri chuckled and turned to look at Ivan knowingly, who also chuckled recalling the many women both had taken just recently. Women as young as fifteen to as old as twenty-five, offered themselves to the new lord in the hopes of catching his eye. They never did. They were beautiful, but Dimitri trusted no one. He couldn't trust love or anything in this world. _

_Olena narrowed her eyes and angrily shoved the food and all the gold off the table. "You will do as I say!"_

_Dimitri stared at his mother for several seconds. Gradually, the color on his face rose to crimson red in anger as his eyes turned hard and cold. His jaw twitched and his fists clenched as he rose to his feet towering over his mother. _

"_I will not obey your commands, Mother." Dimitri said through his teeth. "I am the lord of this household, of Baia! And no one will ever dictate my life! Leave my sight immediately!" _

_Her mother could only stare in disbelief. Who was this… creature in front of her? He was not her son. Her son was gentle, kind and loving. Only a month ago, he was teasing his sisters, kissing Olena's cheek as she cooked her famous black bread. _

"_What have you done to my son?" Olena whispered as she turned to leave letting the tears roll down her cheeks as her heart ached for her son. _

"_He is dead." Dimitri had whispered as his eyes became haunted and dark as the secret he carried heavily on his shoulders._

_The years went by and Dimitri kept changing for the worst. He eventually came out of the study and foresaw the harvest only to take everything the farmers sowed. Many people died of starvation and the lack of funds for new homes forced many to leave. Others became too afraid to move on for Dimitri did not tolerate disloyalty. Once Belikov vassals, always Belikov vassals. It wasn't until after eight years of Dimitri's rise to power did he receive what many knew he had coming. _

_As usual, Dimitri was drinking heavily with his friend Ivan and Mason, who was more of a guard now that he was of age, at a whorehouse. After taking the women he wanted, Dimitri retired home followed closely by Ivan and Mason. When they arrived at the Belikov castle, voices could be heard from the banquet room. Mason was ordered by Dimitri to take Ivan to sleep while Dimitri ventured to the banquet room and figure out who dared laugh and enjoy life when he couldn't. _

_His sisters, mother, aunt, grandmother and a guest sat at the table all talking animatedly and eating Olena's famous black bread. The laughter and conversation ceased at once as Dimitri staggered forward his eyes narrowed on the guest. A woman in her forties with black hair and dark eyes looked at Dimitri with a frown on her face as he drunkenly collided with a chair. Olena began to tense and breathe heavily as she could feel a disaster coming on. Drunk Dimitri staggered directly towards the guest and looked down at her with disgust. _

_With a mocking smile on his lips he turned to his mother then to his sisters, all of whom had grown to fear him over the course of eight years. _

"_What a lovely image," Dimitri slurred his words as his smile slipped. "A lovely family gathering. I should feel rather insulted. I was not invited." He touched his heart as if he were genuinely wounded. And perhaps he was. After all he had done for them, then again, they didn't know. _

"_You are welcome to join us," Olena said trying to muster a smile that came out more as a grimace. _

_Everyone else remained silent as they prayed in their minds that Dimitri would not turn violent and ruin the night. As if reading everyone's mind, Yeva, Dimitri's grandmother, decided to voice everyone's worry. _

"_Only if you behave," Yeva shot a warning look to the guest, who had not taken her calculating eyes off Dimitri, as if also warning her to behave. _

"_I would be honored to join," Dimitri smiled and bowed low. Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief, only it had been much too early to celebrate Dimitri's sudden calmness. "Only after the witch leaves!" He roared turning his cold eyes on the guest. _

_The guest smiled and turned to look briefly at Yeva, her sister. "I see what you meant." _

_Dimitri's eyes turned to his grandmother then back to the witch. "Who invited you into my castle?"_

"_Your grandmother and mother were kind enough to extend an invitation. I…"_

"_How dare you?" Dimitri cut off the woman and turned to glare murderously at his mother. "How dare you invite a witch into _my _castle? Mine! I did not murder father to harbor witches!" As the revelation of his dark secret settled in the room, Dimitri grabbed the witch by the arm and flung her off her chair. _

"_Enough!" Olena shouted rising to her own feet and knocking the chair back with a deafening sound. "What have you done?" The pain and heartbreak were unmistakable in her voice. The girls also began to cry at the revelation of Dimitri murdering their father. How could he? _

"_I did what I had to," Dimitri replied as he ignored the witch and turned to her mother to once again glare murderously. "If you only knew… You would understand. You would know what I have done!"_

"_Nothing! Nothing justifies this crime Dimitri! What have you done?!" Olena banged her fists on the table knocking several cups down._

"_What I had to," Dimitri repeated fervently. _

_The witch rose to her feet and dusted herself off. Without further ado, she raised her finger pointing at Dimitri. "Your mother is right. Nothing justifies such cruelty towards your family, such hideousness. Tonight, I have glimpsed into your heart, into your soul, and you have much to learn. From this night on, I curse you. He who is hideous by heart will be hideous by aspect until he finds love and love finds him. The full moon will control him. The blood lust will drive him. He will be a beast unable to find rest until he is set free by his love. His beauty." _

_A dreadful cold washed over Dimitri followed by an uncomfortable warmth and once again cold. The entire room fell eerily silent as the severity of the situation settled in and the flames of the fire place flickered as if they would extinguish. The silence was broken by Dimitri's booming laughter. He turned around and staggered out of the room shouting for the witch to leave his castle. _

_No one from his family spoke to him after that night. Their fear quickly turned to hatred and disgust. Dimitri didn't care. He had done what he had to. They wouldn't understand. And he didn't give the witch another thought. Until the first full moon after the witch cursed him. Dimitri was in bed after calling his night of debauchery short, for he didn't feel well at all. His bones ached and he had been sweating profusely. _

_He tossed and turned in bed as his heart began to thump loudly and rapidly against his chest. Groaning and moaning in pain, Dimitri turned on his back with his hair sticking to his face due to the sweat. Slowly, he tilted his head to the left and looked out the window at the bright full moon casting silvery light onto his room. Then his bones began to break and he shouted unable to bear the pain as the broken bones pierced his skin. His organs began to rearrange, his face began to take a canine form as his ears elongated, and hair spurted out of his face and entire body. Tearing his eyes away from the haunting full moon, he turned onto his fours and kept screaming bloody murder. His new claws ripped the bed sheets apart as his transformation became complete. _

_A massive brown werewolf stood in Dimitri Belikov's place. The wolf threw his head back and howled. Consumed by nothing more than a single thought, Dimitri took off to satiate his bloodlust. That was the first night the world met the beast. He ripped and ate anything that moved into his path. Many times he did not finish eating, for a new target distracted him. The night had been a bloodbath. _

_By the next morning, Dimitri woke up outside the walls of his domain covered in dry blood and naked. He had no recollection of the previous night, but as he made his way, through back alleys and hidden passages, he saw bodies laid everywhere missing limbs others completely unrecognizable as they had been torn apart by his powerful claws. When he returned to his castle, he found more disaster, blood and death. At the top of the stairwell, he found his sisters crying over a body. And as he drew nearer, fear and dread began to form at the pit of his stomach weighing him down. His mind screamed at him to turn around and run. That what he was about to see would break him._

_And so it did. His mother was sprawled on the stairs throat ripped out and her once beautiful dark hair was covered in her blood. The eyes that were so like Dimitri's, once full of life and light were blank and empty as they stared unseeing. As he closed his eyes unable to take the sight, he recalled his own mother had been his first victim. Olena had been on her way to her son's chamber upon hearing his blood curling scream. She was met by the beast who had no control whatsoever. _

_Unable to take the image of her mother's terror filled eyes, Dimitri opened his own only to find his sisters looking at him with a deep hatred. Karolina, the eldest, marched up to him and slapped him hard across the face. She wanted to do much more, but the family couldn't take any more pain, more death. _

"_Leave!" She shouted as angry and sorrowful tears ran down her cheeks. "Leave and never return! You only bring death… Murderer!"_

_Needing no more command and hating himself as well, Dimitri turned around and left. But when he neared the door, the grave and mournful voice of his grandmother stopped him. _

"_You should have listened to her," Yeva stepped towards her grandson cautiously and handed him a robe. As Dimitri put on the clothes, he recalled all the warnings his mother had given him. Since his rise to power, he had gone downhill, but Olena tried to steer him back into the path of good. _

"_You are knowledgeable in the dark arts," Dimitri began with a pleading and demanding tone to his voice. "How do I break this curse?"_

_Yeva shook her head and turned away. "Only Rhonda can help you. If she wishes to. My sister does not change her mind often." _

_Before Dimitri could ask where to find Rhonda, Yeva was already next to the girls, who were still crying the tragic murder of their mother. Unable to handle the hatred and the guilt that was gnawing at him, Dimitri left his home and didn't look back. He sought out Rhonda around Baia, but he never found her. He decided not to linger in his home much longer, for the townspeople were already whispering his involvement in the bloodbath. They were starting a riot and were ready to storm the Belikov castle in search for him. While death would be suitable rather than roaming the earth as a werewolf, Dimitri wanted to figure out a way out of the curse. _

_After months of searching for Rhonda, Dimitri grew desperate and began to attempt suicide. He would jump off cliffs, he would try to drown himself, drive a knife or sword through his heart, but all his attempts were to no avail. Eventually, Mason, Ivan, Alberta and those Dimitri bit found him. They had woken up after the attack with a deep need to find Dimitri, their Alpha. With his new pack, Dimitri felt some sort of hope. With their help, he could find Rhonda. It took them a while to do so, and in the meantime, they worked together to figure out a way to control the beast inside them. As they turned, they had to concentrate on keeping their humanity intact as the bloodlust began to take over. Usually an anchor, a feeling or emotion could help them keep their human side. For Dimitri, his anchor was hatred. Hatred for himself for what he'd done, hatred for his family who didn't appreciate what he'd done, and hatred for the witch that had done this to him._

_Rhonda was found in Bucharest working as a fortune teller. By then, several years had passed, and Dimitri's pack had grown. Around that time, several werewolves began to break out desperate to be free. They had so much power but were wasting it seeking a witch that would only remove that power. Interested only in his freedom, Dimitri let the werewolves go rogue. All he cared for was to demand Rhonda remove the curse. He went into town alone; he hated being accompanied and trusted so much by Alberta, Mason and Ivan. Even after all he'd done to them, they still stood by his side. _

"_I knew you would find me," Rhonda said without looking up from her cards. "It is all here. I know what you will say and do. But I shall humor you." She looked up and smiled at him tough her smile wasn't mocking but sorrowful. "I am sorry for the death of your mother."_

"_You are sorry?" Dimitri growled and balled his fists. "You killed her! Because of you, I am a monster!"_

_Rhonda shook her head slowly. "You were already a monster. Murdering your own father? Using women as playthings? Letting people starve just to show how in control you are? How does it feel to not have control anymore? How does it feel to see the hideousness of your heart every time you shift into a beast?"_

"_Remove the curse at once!" Dimitri shouted barely hanging on to his temper. His breathing was labored and he knew at any moment he would rip Rhonda apart. If he did that though, he wouldn't have a way out of this. _

"_I will not." She picked up the cards that were laid out on the table and began shuffling them. "You will do so. I can give you guidance, and the gift of reading your future. Before you insult me, as I have seen in the cards, beware that this is the only opportunity you will have. Also recall the last time you insulted me."_

_Without another word, Dimitri sits in the chair opposite the small table. Rhonda smiled satisfied._

"_Good choice," she handed him the cards to cut, and he did so. She pulled out one card followed by another and another. "The secret to the breaking of your curse lays upon a beauty. A woman with an exotic and otherworldly beauty. There is fire in her heart and eyes. Yes, she will be difficult, but if she falls in love with you, she will love you with all her fiery heart. She is compassionate and deadly." Rhonda paused and met his eyes. "Her hair will be like silk and dark. Her eyes will mesmerize you. You will love her. At her hand, you will die and pay the price of all you have done."_

_Dimitri rose to his feet almost knocking down the table. "Die at her hand! I do not wish to die!"_

"_Do you believe that? Can you live with the guilt? The hideousness of your heart?"_

"_Break the curse!" Dimitri fell to his knees and pleaded. He had never broken down. All his life, he had been strong able to mask his emotions until he found out of the betrayal… Yes. He had to explain what had happened. "I did not mean to murder my father…"_

_Rhonda held up her hand. "Nothing justifies the crime you committed or what you became. Nothing." She repeated the words of Olena from the night he was cursed._

_After that, there was no way to sway the witch into breaking the curse or telling him of the location of the so called beauty. As he left though, Rhonda gave him an important warning._

"_You cannot tell the beauty of the curse. If you do, her compassion will win over, and she will fool you and herself that she feels love for you; she will pity you. She could attempt to kill you, but it will not work."_

"_What if she finds out on her own?" Dimitri asked defeated._

"_It will be her choice then," Rhonda said as she began to look through the cards again. "If she wishes to stay and help, to love you, but if she wishes to leave, you must set her free."_

"_What about me?"_

"_You will be doomed. Forever." _

_Having no other words and feeling dead, Dimitri nodded and left in search of his beauty. For years and years, he searched far and wide. He found beautiful women, who unknowingly threw themselves at the beast, but they were nothing for him other than food. They didn't captivate him the way the witch said the beauty would. None of them held the otherworldly beauty Rhonda spoke of. Until he found a thirteen year old Rose. From then on, everything went downhill. _

_Janine was killed by the rogues, and Rose hated him. Five years after the fiasco, Dimitri heard the rumors of a huntress with fire in her eyes and a deadly sword. That's when Dimitri allowed his capture for he heard of the covenant between lords to capture Dimitri. When the fiasco at the Mazur basement happened, Dimitri began to question everything. Did Rhonda fool him? Will he ever find that love? Will he ever be free of the curse?_

Footsteps bring him back from his tormenting past. Rose and Alberta have returned from who knows where. Rose pointedly ignores him as she lies down next to the horse. Alberta motions with her head for Dimitri to follow her. He gets up and joins his aunt on the other side of the clearing.

"Offer her your duster," she nods in Rose's direction. "The temperature will only drop. She will freeze to death."

"She hates me," Dimitri almost pouts but begins to remove his duster anyway. "You think she will take it?"

"We shall see."

With a sigh, he turns towards Rose and hands her the duster. She looks up at him then at the duster and back at him. Gingerly, she takes the coat and stares at it with a frown as if she had never seen anything like it. With a sudden smile, she throws the duster over the horse and lies down next to it without a word of thanks to the werewolf. Disgusted but knowing better than to say anything when Rose is already upset with him, Dimitri goes to stand next to Alberta.

"It was for her not the horse," he grimaces as he knows he will have to put it back on in the morning.

"She will not forget the gesture though," Alberta said trying to hold back the laughter. "Believe me."

Dimitri says no more but is doubtful that handing her a duster will convince her that he is no monster. He doubts this will convince her to give her life up for him now thanks to his new curse. With another deep sigh, he looks up at the sky and dreads the coming of the full moon as always.

_When will I be free? _The beast thinks as he turns his eyes back on the beauty.

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**AN: There's obviously more to Dimitri's story, but we will hear more about it later on. Thanks for reading!**


	19. The Hunt

**Thank you very much for your lovely reviews! And thanks for worrying about me. In the car accident, no one was majorly hurt, thankfully. My wrist is not broken, just sprained, and is now much better. A huge thank you to my beta, **ComradeInLOVE,** for working so fast! Thanks hun! :D Kay, I'm done.**

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Rose frowns and grimaces in her sleep. She tosses and turns frequently. One second she is on her side, the next she is on her back. Something is bothering her, and Dimitri can't help wondering what that is. He has stared at her all night wondering if she is still the one and how he will make her fall in love with him. As the night progressed though, Dimitri couldn't help butadmire her beauty as she slept. She looked calmer, less deadly, and less hateful. Again, Rose shifts and suddenly opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is her Russian jailer sitting cross legged across the clearing and frowning at her.

"Bad dream?" He asks quietly enough not towake up Alberta and Ivan but loud enough for her to hear him. Mason has been patrolling the area for some time after relieving Ivan from his shift.

Rose shakes her head wordlessly and sits up staring around. At first, her muscles ache from sleeping on the cold hard ground. Her eyes soon lay upon the two wolves sleeping untroubled. She then moves on to look up at the trees and the slow streaming light of the coming day. For a second, she dreads moving even further away from her loved ones. However, she quickly realizes she hasn't pinpointed what is troubling her yet.

"What is it?" Dimitri asks truly concerned as he concentrates hard on listening to the forest around them for any threat. The wolves, feeling their Alpha unsettled, quickly wake up and stand ready to fight. Even Mason runs back to camp and stands next to Rose growling protectively.

"I… I do not know…" Rose replies as she begins to look at the tree line feeling watched like in her troubling dreams before waking up.

_She had been standing in the same clearing they settled camp. She was all alone when suddenly Yeva, the witch that read her fortune, stepped out of the shadows._

"_They are coming," Yeva warned urgently, eyes wild with fear and worry. "They are coming. Protect him. Protect yourself."_

_After the witch had spoken, several howls and screams were heard all around Rose. Instinctively, she reached for her sword but found nothing at her hip, so she started to run. Dimitri had once told her, during her self-defense impromptu lessons at the age of thirteen, to run when she couldn't handle an enemy. As Rose ran, she couldn't shake the witch's warning off. But who was Yeva speaking of? Who was coming? Who was the _he_ Rose had to protect? _

_Still running, Rose glanced everywhere searching for the threat and the person she was supposed to protect. Red eyes began to appear in the shadows, and she could hear the heavy breathing of someone, or rather something. She screeched to a halt as a massive beast jumped right in front of her. Her eyes widened and she bit back a scream. This beast was like no other she had ever seen. The thing had bright red eyes, and its hands were freakishly long with hellish claws similar to those of a werewolf. But this wasn't a werewolf. No, the werewolves couldn't stand like a human, and its snout wasn't quite wolfish._

_The thing moved closer to her, and Rose could swear it was smiling. As the beast opened its mouth to bite her…_

"Roza?" Dimitri's gentle touch on her chin brings her out of her thoughts. His eyes are gentler than Rose has ever seen them, but even as hekneels in front of her, he looks ready to pounce at any moment and fight.

"It is Rose, not Roza," she says quietly as she pulls away from him. The gentleness and worry in his voice makes her uncomfortable and… warm. Thinking of the beast in her nightmare, Rose feels comforted to know that if that thing exists, Dimitri can kill it before it hurts her. As that thought sinks in, Rose feels disgusted with herself. Since when does she depend on the beast for protection? She is capable of taking care of herself. However, the fear she felt in the pit of her stomach as the beast closed in on her makes Rose shiver. "And do not touch me. I have told you before." She shakes her head and rises to her feet leaving Dimitri kneeling with his hand outstretched.

Dimitri sighs as he moves away from her. He has no idea what possessed him to touch her or call her by her name in Russian. He could hear many emotions wrapped up in his voice, too: a mixture of protectiveness, concern and _affection_? He shakes his head. He has no recollection of that last emotion. Still, he felt… _something._ Clearly, though, she doesn't deserve his concern. Turning back to his old brute and beastly self, Dimitri begins to rally up everyone for the trip.

"Your horse better not fail on the way," he snaps as he saddles up his own. "We must reach Moscow today."

Still unable to shake the troubling dream and unsettling thoughts of Dimitri, Rose doesn't reply and instead busies herself on saddling Sonya up. Thankfully, the horse made it past the night, but who knows if it will survive the trip to Moscow. She keeps in mind though, that she could easily manipulate Dimitri again for a rest.

"I need a moment of privacy," Rose says moments before they depart. Without waiting for a reply, she takes off in the direction of the nearby river she ran to the night before when Dimitri had upset her.

Even as she walks she can feel, if not hear, someone following her. Rose rolls her eyes. It was too much to expect for her jailer to actually give her a moment of privacy to do her necessities. Of course, whoever is following her is messing with her plans. A couple of feet away from the small river, the huntress comes to a stop and crosses her arms.

"I refuse to be watched while I do my necessities." She calls out to her follower.

"We are both ladies," Alberta calls out from somewhere in the trees after a moment of silence.

"_I _am a lady. You, I doubt." Rose snorts. She knows it's a low blow, especially after what Alberta did for her last night. When Alberta had followed her, she had just stood there letting Rose cry out for her mother. Neither of them had been quite sure how to act around each other. Rose hates all werewolves and will kill them given the chance. Alberta would probably kill Rose if she wasn't so important to Dimitri, for whatever reason. Still, knowing that Alberta was there made Rose feel less lonely.

Still, Rose acts disdainfully towards the woman for she needs a moment alone. A single moment, of not being constantly watched, to carry out her plan. Her plan had formulated itself as she saddled up Sonya, and thought of ways to delay the trip.

Alberta sighs loudly and says something in Russian. "You have ten seconds. I will close my eyes."

"Ten seconds?" Rose shakes her head, but ten seconds is all she needs.

"Take it or leave it."

"Fine," Rose pretends to gather her dress. "Close your eyes. Now."

"Ten…" Alberta begins to count as Rose pricks her thigh with a pin from her hair. "Nine…" As quietly as she can, Rose tears a piece of fabric from her dress. "…Seven…" She wipes the blood from her thigh with the ripped cloth. "…Five…" She hides the cloth among leaves. "Three."

Rose sighs dramatically. "Done. You are rushing me."

She stomps quickly away and prays that the werewolf doesn't smell her blood before Abe's hounds can. Rose's father has always had a mania for protection, especially after Janine was murdered. The zmey spent good money on trained and ferocious hounds. Of course the hounds were no match for the werewolves but they could, at least, provide some sort of distraction. Rose doesn't want the hounds to fight the beasts, though. No, she wants the hounds to smell her. It is a far stretch that her father would even venture this far, but it's worth a try. She berated herself in her mind for not thinking of leaving a trail before. Now, it may be too late to start leaving trails of her blood behind. However, she has to try.

Alberta seems not tonotice, and for that Rose is thankful. When they reach the camp, Rose jumps on Sonya and trots away as fast as she can. Dimitri stares at her bewildered, but follows closely anyway. Neither Dimitri nor his werewolves paid attention to the faint smell of blood that began to accompany them as they moved to Moscow. Rose didn't even consider the possibility that the trail of blood she began to leave could not only lead her father, but the rogues to her as well.

Adrian sits in a corner with a goblet of wine on his hands. He stares with a frown at Abe and Janine who, by some miracle, is alive and arrived at Istanbul a few days ago. The Mazurs had spent most of the time catching up on the last five years they spent apart. Not very often does Rose's name come up.

"We will find her," Janine said the first night before smiling at the fire and launching into a tale of Rose's temper.

Abe laughed, something the old man didn't do often. "I would not be surprised if they are bringing her back right now. She is a pest!"

It made Adrian so angry how they weren't speaking of a way to get her back. Christian could see Adrian was about to do something stupid because he and Eddie dragged him out of the room leaving Abe alone with Janine. Oksana, Abe's sister, her husband and Eric had retired to bed after the long trip. Lissa followed after Christian and Eddie as they took Adrian out to the garden to get some air and calm down.

"Do not tell me to calm down!" Adrian roared when Christian suggested he do so. "They are acting like this is nothing but a reunion! They do not realize the reason they are together is because of a tragedy. Rose has been taken. We should be discussing a strategy! Damn it, how the fuck is Janine even alive?"

"She explained it," Lissa said quietly, unable to get over the shock of Yeva's prediction. "Abe fooled us all. Janine was sent away to deal with her curse while everyone, including Rose, thought she was dead. Oh God, Rose is going to be mad."

A faint smile graced Lissa's lips before the thought of Rose possibly dead by then crossed her mind. However, she quickly dismissed it. Yeva had predicted a man, a man who would love Rose more than anything. And considering who Rose was traveling with, Lissa could only guess the outcome of this: Rose and Dimitri are going to fall in love. How? Lissa doesn't know.

"Adrian is right. We must go after her. Now." Lissa and Rose swore to be best friends, sisters even, and Lissa will be damned if she's about to let her friend fall for a beast.

Christian sighed and met Eddie's eyes. "You are missing the big picture. As Abe said, distance and time does not matter. With Janine's, uh, abilities we will find Rose wherever she is in no time. Let them have a moment. It has been five years. The old man had to pretend his wife wasdead for the sake of Rose and his wife."

Adrian narrowed his eyes on the blue eyed hunter. "You are a fool. Yes, we will find Rose. Dead. These could be her last moments alive, and we are wasting them by telling old tales. There is no time to waste."

"He is right." Eric made his way slowly towards the group of four friends. His hands on his pockets and looking tired. "We are wasting time. Not only could Rose be in mortal peril, but once Lady Tatiana finds out about Abe's deceit, hell will descend upon him and us."

"What do you mean, Lord Dragomir?" Eddie asked with a frown.

"Abe will be deemed a traitor." Adrian answered for Eric as dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "He might just be executed along with anyone associated with him. We need to move, now."

"You could stop it." Christian scoffed. "You are the lord of your house. Should you not have more authority than your aunt? She only took the place as lady after…"

"After my mother went insane?" Adrian finished for Christian with bitterness in his voice. He then sighed and shook his head wishing he could drink some more, but he knew he had to keep his wits about him. "I only hold the title. I am not wise enough to rule my house alone. All decisions go through my aunt."

"You could convince her, could you not?" Lissa asked as tears glistened in her eyes. "You could convince her not to execute Abe and his family."

"This is not that simple, Liss." Adrian shook his head. "We are talking of treachery. Deceit. All of those bitten are to be burned by law. Failure to do so brands the person a traitor, a friend of the enemy. But I will do all I can to keep Abe and Janine alive. For the sake of Rose."

"The Dragomirs will help right, father?" Lissa turned to Eric, who quickly nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Well, the Ozeras have been helped by the Mazurs before. It is time to return the favor." Christian nodded. "We should warn Abe about this."

As it turned out, Abe was already aware of what would happen should Tatiana find out of his treachery. He hadn't cared; he simply returned to chatting away with Janine about the past. Adrian still couldn't help feeling on edge about all the time they were wasting. Days were slowly passing and no one was making a move to go looking for Rose. He numbs the pain, desperation and anger with wine. The alcohol also seems to keep the voices and visions at bay. When he blacks out due to the alcohol, he doesn't see Rose dying or gazing lovingly at someone who isn't him. The voices don't torment him asking him whether he'll kill or save Rose when the time comes.

Janine lets out a small laugh as Abe recounts some other tale. The fact that they don't look the least worried has Adrian seeing red. He rises from his chair in the corner and throws the goblet across the room startling everyone.

"Can you pretend for one second that you care about your daughter?" Adrian says through his teeth. "You have what you've been waiting for: Janine. You said we could find her with her abilities, but so far you have made no move, _zmey_. Will you or will you not help me find Rose?"

Abe and Janine share a look. Lord Mazur takes a calming breath as he stares at the roaring fire. "We are waiting for the full moon. Tomorrow night, we set out to find Rose."

He and Janine hold hands and look into each other's eyes. The wait had been slowly killing them. The only way to keep sane until the full moon was recalling old tales of their youth, of when they met in Scotland after she had knocked him out for speaking inappropriately to her. She had felt incredibly guilty immediately afterwards, so she bought him a drink at the pub she worked at. One thing had led to another and in three days, they were married. The birth of their Rosemarie had been the happiest day of their lives. Both of them vowed to protect their baby at all costs. Dimitri kidnapping her has made them feel like a failure, and they are anxious to get their daughter back. But if they want to do this right, they have to wait until the full moon.

"Why are we waiting so long?" Adrian glares murderously still unsatisfied with their answer.

Abe doesn't like the young man's tone. If he had taken care of his daughter like he should have, none of this would have happened. Janine can see the vein in Abe's neck pulsing as he struggles to stay calm. She finds it funny how Abe can easily lose his temper.

"During the full moon," she answers as she holds Abe's hands tightly in hers lending him strength and patience. "I am stronger. All my senses are at their highest peak. Of course that makes this rescue mission all the more dangerous. They will be stronger as well. The rogues will be more insane. But if we want to find her as soon as possible, we must take advantage of the full moon."

"You think we are going to find her in one night?" Adrian snorts and shakes his head disdainfully. Only God knows how far they have moved or if Rose is even alive.

"Technically the full moon lasts five nights. It takes time for the moon to, well, not be fully illuminated." Janine explains with great patience.

"What about the beasts being stronger and more insane? That is going to cause problems." Eddie, who had been quietly standing along the walls waiting for directions, joins the conversation.

"As Janine said," Abe says now calmer. "We must take advantage. It will be worth it."

"You will be more insane though," Christian, also joining the conversation, holds back a groan of pain as Lissa elbows him hard on the ribs for the lack of respect towards Abe's wife. "I apologize. I just want to point out that you may not be in condition to seek Rose. You could kill us."

Abe jumps out of his chair knocking it down. "Respect my wife, Christian."

"Abe," Janine smiles and tugs Abe's hand. "It is an honest question. One we failed to address. However, as I think about that now, it will not be a problem. Oksana has been helping me with some relaxing herbs since I was bitten. The herbs keep me calm enough to retain my human intelligence."

"I thought nothing helped the beasts during the full moon?" Lissa asks timidly. She cannot believe Janine is alive; it is intimidating to also know she can change into a werewolf at any moment.

"Well, if no werewolf is taking the herbs, they surely lose their minds during the full moon. I know they have an anchor for those transformations outside the full moon. An emotion that usually keeps them human. I also take that into consideration when I take the herbs."

Everyone falls silent, no doubt praying that it all works out. Adrian seems placated by the plan of rescue. Surely they can find Rose in one week. He just hopes it's not too late.

"We still have to address some details." Adrian says pulling up a chair and sitting with his elbows on his knees and staring intently into Janine's eyes. "We need to coordinate to take them all out. We need as many Guardians as possible. And where are we even going to start?"

Janine and Abe meet their gazes. Their eyes harden as they say in unison, "Codrii Vlăsiei."

No one says anything as the news sink in. Going into the rogues' nest during a full moon is absolutely mad. It is suicidal. But that is the last place Rose was seen, and the rumors are not very helpful because Rose can't be at different places at once. Last she was seen, she was headed to Ukraine while others say she was headed towards Hungary. _Codrii Vlăsiei_ is their best option. Everyone then settles down to discuss their strategy. Now that the right time is near, they have to prepare themselves for what is to come.

It is almost daylight by the time they finish with their plans. Adrian had managed to stay sober for the rest of the night, so when he heads to bed, he dreads the nightmares that are soon to come. He decides to face them and not be drunk, for Rose will need him to be in top shape. As he lays his head down on the pillow, he drifts incredibly fast to sleep. He is unconscious for a while. A dreamless sleep. Then, trees begin to appear around him.

_It is night. He is alone with only his sword and the full moon for company. He thinks he is awake, for the dream feels all too real. He can feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. There is something out there, the beasts are nearby. A twig snaps somewhere around Adrian. He looks around hoping to see anything. An older woman soon steps out of the shadows. Her eyes are too dark and look like they are black holes. Her hair is gray and she is far too frail to be walking around the dark forest. _

_ "You have been blocking my attempts at communication," the woman says as she steps forwards. "I have an important message."_

_ "What…" Adrian trails off unsure of what he was about to ask. Now he's very much aware that he is in a dream. A nightmare._

_ "They are coming. As I asked you before, are you going to kill her or save her?"_

_ "Who is coming?" Adrian asks as he hears another twig snap in the distance. _

_ "Answer the question," the older woman says with urgency. "Answer!"_

_ "If you mean Rose, of course I will save her!" Adrian shouts with as much urgency. "Who is coming?"_

_ "Not who. What. They have changed. They are far more vicious and deformed. They want her. They know she is the key to their destruction. If you want to save her, you will do exactly as I say." _

_ "Who are you? What the hell are you talking about?" Adrian unsheathes his sword and advances towards the old woman. Before he can get any closer, a howl stops him cold. The sound is nothing like the beasts. It's far more evil, far more animalistic. The sound chills him to the bone. _

_ "Do exactly as I say." The old woman says before ending the dream plummeting Adrian into a whole other world of nightmares. Nightmares of howling, red eyes, claws and teeth dripping blood._

Bright and early the next morning, Adrian wakes up tired as if he never went to sleep. However, the thought of heading out to look for Rose brings out his strength and energy. Over breakfast, the plan is discussed again. The horses are all saddled up and several carriages loaded with weapons are ready by the time the rescue team consisting of Abe, Janine, Eric, Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Adrian, Oksana, Mark and fifty Guardians step out of the Mazur castle. It had been a big discussion who would go and who would stay behind. Lissa and Oksana should have stayed, but they protested saying Rose is their family as well. The danger they know they will face that night is nothing compared to their hope of finding Rose alive and well.

Everyone rides steady and in silence for most of the trip. By the time the sun is sinking, the group reaches _Codrii Vlăsiei_, and Adrian, guided by the terrible memory of his goodbye to Rose, tells Janine exactly where Rose was standing the last time he saw her.

Looking up at the sky, Janine begins to remove her clothes. "I suggest you all step back." She gives Abe a smile before she bends forward on her fours and begins to shift.

Even though the Guardians and hunters have seen werewolves change many times, it never ceases to make them cringe as the sound of the bones cracking fills the air. Lissa, who has never seen such thing, buries her face in Christian's neck. He holds her close soothing her and wondering how Abe can handle watching his wife grimacing in pain as she changes her body from human to beast.

The transformation is soon over. An auburn colored wolf stands in Janine's place. She shakes her head and stretches her legs. Cautiously, she moves towards Abe, who does not hesitate to meet his wife halfway. He holds out a dress that belongs to their daughter, and Janine takes a long whiff of it. And the hunt for Rosemarie Mazur begins.


	20. Madness

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, follows and favs! And sorry for taking so long to update; been working hard to pay bills. Boo for growing up! Anyway, special thanks as always to my beta **ComradeInLOVE**, you are the BEST! :D **

"I need a sword!" Rose protests for the hundredth time as she follows a cranky Dimitri around with her hands on her hips.

Nightfall is fast approaching, and Dimitri decided to make a stop for the night in Bryansk on the outskirts of Russia. To Rose's pain and dismay, the trip is almost over. Soon they will reach Moscow. However, she has no idea that the trip does not end there. If she dies tonight though, there won't be a tomorrow to worry about.

Tonight is a full Moon night. The wolves are clearly on edge fearful that this time they will lose all control. Learning to hold back their bloodlust has not been easy. It has literally taken them two centuries to get to where they are and still every single time they could lose all that self-control. Giving Rose a sword would be a good idea just in case the rogues decide tonight is their night to attack. If the huntress has something to defend herself with, Dimitri won't have to worry about the mutts or him killing her. However, the alpha is not thinking straight. He is more worried about how he'll stay in control. How he'll stay himself.

"For the last time," Dimitri turns around abruptly causing Rose to collide with him. Instinctively, he reaches out and holds her waist keeping her from falling backwards. "No." He growls in her face while his hands still encircle her waist.

Rose can feel a heat creeping up her skin all the way to her cheeks. "What if you kill me?" She lets out in an involuntary whisper. The proximity of the beast makes her knees weak for some reason. She settles on the thought that it's fear that makes her feel that way. He can easily break all of her bones in the position he's holding her in.

"I give you my word," Dimitri whispers back as suddenly all his fears of losing control go out the window. Now, he just has to reassure her that no harm will come to her. "No one will hurt you as long as I am near."

Her eyes widen at the intensity of his words. She hasn't seen him this human since the day he asked her to run away with him. So she forgets who he is. She forgets he is her sworn enemy; the beast she swore to kill. And all she sees is a man with a curse. Rose leans forward stepping closer into his arms. Her right hand slowly travels up his muscled left arm. Dimitri gasps as her palm caresses his cheek. Feeling comforted, he closes his eyes and leans into her touch.

"What happened to you?" Rose whispers again as she frowns trying to figure him out.

Dimitri opens his eyes abruptly and looks into her eyes then steps back as if she burned him, or as if she was his downfall. "Just stay inside." He grunts and storms out of the empty and abandoned shack they found leaving Rose stunned with her hand still in the air.

When he leaves, Rose shakes her head and berates herself for the stupid mistake of forgetting who he is. He had fooled her years ago, and now he was doing the same. Angry at herself for her naivety and Dimitri's confusing feelings, she kicks the table then a chair followed by the wall. The wood of the shack easily comes apart sending splinters flying everywhere, even into her skin.

"Son of a bitch," Rose hisses as she cradles her right hand. "Damn it." She pulls out as many splinters as she can and follows to rip another piece of cloth from her underskirt with which she wraps her hand in. For a second, she glares at the door as if blaming Dimitri for her injury. Then, seeing the debris surrounding her, an idea pops into her head. If she can't have a sword, she will make something similar to a small weapon. Because Rosemarie Hathaway Mazur is not going down without a fight however brief it may be.

Dimitri ignores the ruckus coming from inside the shack. He's still dwelling on the sudden change of Rose's emotions towards him. She touched him! Willingly. When the entire trip she has been practically chewing his head off whenever he touches her even if it is by accident. He closes his eyes briefly as he makes his way towards the others sitting around a roaring fire and fidgeting as they glance nervously at the sinking sun. He recalls the warmth of her palm against his slick with sweat skin. Her touch had comforted him a great deal and made him forget he was a beast. He forgot the full Moon was coming to claim him again unless he fought it. But then she asked him what had happened. And looking into her eyes he almost considered telling her everything, but telling her would mess everything up. What unsettled him the most was that he suddenly felt compelled to trust her. If not tell her about his curse, then tell her what drove him to commit the atrocities that lead to it. But as time had passed, Dimitri questioned the reasons behind the murder of his father. Perhaps the witch and his mother had been right and nothing could ever justify his crime.

"You should give her a sword," Mason practically whines out as he feels the pull of the Moon becoming stronger. "She might need it."

Dimitri stops his musings and looks up at the darkening sky. "She will be fine. We have fought the madness for two centuries. Tonight is no different."

"Remember how we lost control fifty years ago?" Mason continues as he grimaces at the pain of his heart pulsating too fast. "You said the same. You always say the same thing. That night, Baja ceased to exist. Every child, woman, man, elderly, and animal was slaughtered. By us. I do not wish to risk her."

The alpha narrows his eyes on the young werewolf and ignoring the whimpers of Alberta and Ivan, Dimitri steps towards Mason. "Do you think I wish to endanger her? No. She is too important to me. I always say the same because it is true. We fight the madness not only during the full Moon, but also every day and night." He grips Mason's head and looks him in the eyes. "It is all about choice, Mason. We choose whether we are beasts or human. I chose to be human." _Whatever that means, _Dimitri adds to himself.

"I could not have said it better myself." Rose says void of emotion. She will not show the beast any more considerations or emotions. He will not know just how it touches her that he remembers what she once told him, or that she heard him say she's too important for him. Instead, she slips on a poker face she has come to learn from him and sits next to Mason. She meets Dimitri's eyes and arches her left eyebrow. "Then again, I do believe I said that. I'm surprised you even remember."

Dimitri lets go of Mason and steps back, then gracefully lowers himself to the ground crossing his long legs under him.

With no emotion like Rose, Dimitri says, "I remember everything." He narrows his eyes on the huntress. "I remember I strictly told you to stay inside. It is for your safety."

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, because that shack will keep you or the rogues out." She holds up her homemade weapons. "Besides, I have destroyed half of it."

Mason chuckles nervously as he glances up at the almost dark blue sky. "What the hell is that?"

Rose glances at her weapons. She's quite proud of them. With little to work with, she made something that will cause the beasts discomfort. Taking large pieces of broken wood, she tied small pieces to it like a crude version of a spiked mace. All her underskirt is gone now. From dropping pieces of it along the way to making her two weapons, she is wearing nothing but the now ripped and dirty dress Lissa gave her when she arrived at Bucharest days ago.

"Something that is going to be a pain in your ass, literally, if you try anything." Her eyes soften at the sight of Mason green in the face and sweating more and more as the Moon approaches. "He is right though, Mase. You can choose to be human or beast tonight."

Mason nods feeling slightly comforted then turns to Dimitri. "Just to be safe, I will be tranquil if you chain me up."

His pleading voice tugs at Rose's heart. He sounds so vulnerable like a child, like a human. Alberta clears her voice and meets Ivan's eyes before speaking cautiously to her nephew.

"We would prefer that as well."

"We have done this before without chains," Dimitri growls. "We can d-"

"Dimitri," Rose chides him with the single use of his name. "If that makes them feel more in control, why not?"

They look into each other's eyes for a while. Like they're silently communicating. Rose sees a protest in his eyes, and he sees fire and compassion in hers. Has she come to care for his companions? Is there compassion in her for him? In the end, he nods.

"Let us find some chains then. Quickly. The Moon is almost here." He motions to Rose with his head to follow him.

They leave Mason, Alberta and Ivan to strip off their clothes while they search the shack. When they go in, Dimitri turns to raise his eyebrows at Rose. The mess is unbelievable inside. Everything to half the back wall is broken. Most of the old and rotted furniture has been broken to smithereens.

"What? I had to fabricate a weapon if you were not going to provide one." She shrugs and moves ahead of him to search for chains, though she doesn't recall finding anything useful.

"You do realize that is not going to cause any damage to us. Only silver can." He says with clear amusement in his voice. The corners of his mouth even twitch as if he is going to smile.

"Well, find me a silver made shack and I will fabricate something special for you. But if my memory serves right, silver only makes your skin burn. No real damage. What a shame." She rolls her eyes and continues her search turning the broken furniture over. "Besides with my self-made weapons, I will at least cause you to..." Several ear splitting screams cut Rose off, making her cover her ears with both hands. "What the fu-"

She stops when she hears a loud thud behind her. When she turns her heart catches in her throat. Dimitri kneels gripping the overturned and half broken table with his left hand as he clutches his chest with his right. He half growls and half groans. From where Rose stands, she can hear the breaking of his bones and the beating of his heart like the war drums of the crusaders loud and continuous. With the unbearable yet familiar pain running through his body, Dimitri falls onto the floor face down. Rose remains motionless with eyes wide and gripping her useless weapons tightly. She has heard that full Moon transformations are far more painful and slower than everyday shifts. What she does not know is that it is only true for those close to the source of the curse. It is their punishment for standing by Dimitri.

"R-r-r," Dimitri stutters with a rough voice. "Roza!" He shouts snapping his head up meeting Rose's eyes. His face is distorted with hair slowly growing and his mouth turning into a snout. "Roza!" He repeats followed by a blood chilling scream as skin is pierced by the broken bones, teeth grow, ribs multiply, and organs rearrange.

Seeing him like that makes Rose's eyes sting. Who deserves that kind of pain? No one. No matter what they've done. She swallows the tears and steps tentatively closer to him as he arches his back as his spine elongates and his hands turn into paws.

"I am here," Rose whispers lowering herself next to him tossing her weapons aside. She reaches out to him with her hand, but she seems to doubt that's a good idea; her hand hovers in the air as she considers whether the idea repulses her. When he gives out a loud whimper, her mind is made.

"I am here," she repeats putting both of her hands on his back. Suddenly he stops shaking, he stops feeling everything except her hands on him. Her body close to him provides warmth and reassurance that everything will be all right, that he will pull through. He will not succumb to the madness. The full Moon will not claim him tonight.

Rose stiffens as well, wondering if it was a mistake to touch the beast halfway through his transformation. She has no idea how far the madness will drive him. But she relaxes when Dimitri doesn't rip her head off. Instead, he continues to shake as the transformation completes. His clothes are completely ripped apart, but his body is now covered in brown fur the color of his eyes. Rose doesn't remove her hands from his back and can feel how soft and warm his fur is. If she didn't know entirely too well how a beast's claws can rip through flesh like a knife through wax, she'd say the werewolves are actually adorable. Dimitri stops shaking and silence returns to the night. Time seems to come to a stop while Rose's hands raise and fall with the movement of Dimitri's breathing.

"D-Dimitri?" She whispers staying completely motionless as not to startle the werewolf next to her or the other three outside.

His heavy breathing is the only response she gets until he snaps his massive head up and howls. As his howling echoes then dies away, he is joined by more howling just outside the shack and from what feels like every direction. All the wolves are responding to the alpha's calling. Rose jumps away at the sound, fearing that Dimitri has lost it and will turn to kill her. With shaky paws, Dimitri raises standing at a height slightly above that of his human form. Rose tries not to feel too puny or weak as Dimitri stalks towards her with his head bent and showing his teeth.

She pulls her useless weapon closely and prepares for a brief and useless fight. But no fight comes. Dimitri touches her forehead gently with his snout, and even goes as far as licking her left cheek leaving a trail of gooey saliva.

"Ew," Rose whimpers as she wipes her cheek with her wrist. "I told you not to touch me." Despite her curt tone, she's glad he's not tearing her apart. Yet.

Still in control of his emotions, Dimitri licks her cheek again and growls playfully. He turns his head and knocks Rose to the ground easily.

"All right," she protests trying to rise to her feet, but Dimitri pushes her down again with his head. "Stop it." She rolls her eyes though she can't help the smile that escapes her lips. "This may be fun for you, but not so much for me."

Dimitri continues to play with Rose as if she is nothing more than a rag doll but always making sure to stay calm and not think of her as prey. He likes the small smiles and quiet laughter as she halfheartedly protests. Suddenly a thunderous roar interrupts the fun. Dimitri's head snaps up, and he growls deep in his chest as he bares his long teeth. He jumps away from Rose but before he leaves the shack, he makes sure to knock her down again and keeps his snout pressed against her chest making sure to make eye contact. Rose swallows in understanding: He wants her to stay down and inside. Something bad is about to happen.

Dimitri pushes his powerful paws to run out the shack in three long strides. When he is outside, he skids to a stop as he sees Mason and Ivan swiping at each other while Alberta is down whimpering and hurt. Dimitri can smell his aunt's blood. He lets out an angry roar of his own causing the two werewolves to stop their fight and turn to the new threat. They advance towards Dimitri and begin to circle him slowly. The two wolves have gone from enemies to allies in order to take out the competition. But Dimitri is not having any of it. He is their master, not the Moon. He will push them back into submission. He lets out a commanding roar, and for a second the beasts seem to stop. They shake their heads and continue to circle the enemy. A battle cry interrupts the growling and circling.

The red wolf, Mason, yelps in surprise as Rose hits him with one of her homemade weapons. The wood breaks easily only causing the werewolf to turn its attention on a real prey. On his meal. Rose takes a couple of slow steps back practically kicking herself mentally for intervening. But she didn't like seeing Dimitri surrounded like that. Mason and Ivan seemed to have given into the madness of the full Moon, and they weren't going to obey Dimitri. All she could think of was doing something. Anything that could help Dimitri. Well, at least she has the attention of one of them. It will be a fair fight between Dimitri and Ivan.

"Come on, Mase," Rose taunts as she holds her last useless weapon in both hands. "Come get me. Dinner is served." She sneers and runs back into the shack followed closely by Mason.

Dimitri roars and turns his attention quickly on Ivan. He knows exactly what Rose is doing: she is distracting Mason while he handles Ivan. How stupid of her to intervene. He could easily take care of both. He is stronger than they are combined, and he's their alpha. They would succumb eventually. Well, there's nothing he can do but follow the plan. Dimitri knows he has to incapacitate Ivan or make him follow his orders again. Then, he'll take care of Mason before it is too late.

Inside, Rose throws anything and everything she can at Mason as he chases her inside the shack. Several times the red werewolf gets close to sinking his teeth into Rose's flesh, but the huntress moves out of the way with surprising speed.

"I know you can defeat the madness, Mase," Rose calls as she throws what is left of a broken chair at the wolf. "Fight it! You can choose!"

But the werewolf is too far gone, and Rose knows is only a matter of time before he catches her. He will rip her flesh clean off her bones, but she comforts herself with the thought that she will at least die fighting. As she begins to lose her strength, Rose's movements become clumsy, so she trips with her own feet and falls face down. Mason is quickly upon her with his right paw on her back keeping her in place. Rose tries to roll over, but the wolf is strong and adds pressure crushing her slowly. Breathing becomes harder and harder. Her eyes dance with dark spots as her lungs scream for air and she opens her mouth trying to pull it in. And Mason just adds more and more pressure as he begins to salivate savoring her healthy flesh.

Mason is sent flying across the room by Ivan, and Rose gasps loudly sucking in as much air as possible. She jumps to her feet only to be knocked down by Dimitri. He growls in her face and bares his teeth. The alpha turns without another growl or glance in Rose's direction. Mason is in a corner snapping and growling at Ivan. Dimitri roars and swipes Mason's face with his left paw leaving a deep claw mark on Mason's face. The alpha roars again and stomps the ground with his right paw several times repeatedly. Mason whimpers and lowers his head in shame as he finally defeats the madness. Dimitri shakes his massive head motioning to Ivan and Mason to leave, and they do so. As Mason passes Rose, who is breathing heavily and sweating profusely, he turns his blue eyes on her and seems to beg for forgiveness. Before Rose says anything, Dimitri growls making Ivan and Mason run out.

"Will they be all right now?" Rose asks as she still clutches her weapon.

Dimitri doesn't attempt to reply in any way and instead makes for the door. When Rose follows, Dimitri turns and roars again. He pushes her back, and she falls on her butt. With one last growl and a clear message in his eyes for her to stay inside, he leaves. Shocked, angry and hurt at Dimitri's behavior, she slams what's left of the door shut and goes to sit in a corner to fume until sleep claims her.

The next morning, Rose awakens to Mason's tuneless humming. She opens her eyes slowly then closes them again when she sees him sitting cross legged and naked in front of her.

"Please, have some decency and put some clothes on," she groans.

"I thought I would reward you after last night." Despite the teasing tone in his voice, Rose can see Mason is wrecked. His eyes and mouth don't smile. The mark Dimitri made is still on his face. Deep gashes of the alpha's claws have not healed yet.

"Mase," she begins slowly as her eyes never leave the marks. "Do not worry about it. You fought it."

"Only after the alpha slapped me," he chuckles humorlessly. "Dimitri is upset. I disobeyed him and almost killed his reason for living. You also disobeyed him."

Rose snorts. "He is not my alpha. In fact, he should be thankful I came up with such a brilliant plan."

"Brilliant plan?" Dimitri snaps angrily causing Mason to grimace as he feels the full force of his alpha's anger. "You almost had yourself killed. I told you to stay inside, again. If you cannot obey…"

"What?" Rose shouts and stands up placing her hands on her hips. "What will you do? Kill me? Turn me into one of you? Go ahead! Instead of being upset, you should be thanking me. If I had not helped you, you would have died. Alberta would have died."

"I do not need your help!" Dimitri steps towards Rose and grips her arm. "I am the alpha, and I can do it all on my own."

"Then why am I here? What the fuck do you want from me? You are mad!" She jerks her arm away and stomps out of the shack. "I am leaving."

"Then leave!" Dimitri roars.

"Goodbye, then." Rose narrows her eyes on the werewolves then walks away.

"Follow her," the alpha commands Mason. "And do not fail me again, Mason."

Mason says nothing else and sets out to carry out his alpha's order. Dimitri sighs when he is finally left alone. He thinks that perhaps he should not have shouted at Rose. Perhaps he should thank her. If she was trying to help, maybe she is no longer indifferent to him. He curses in Russian under his breath. The full Moon may not have driven him completely mad the previous night, but he sure has been foolish. He has wasted a perfect opportunity to earn Rose's love, and he doesn't know if he'll ever get another chance again.


	21. Hellhounds

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows! Extra special thanks to my beta, **ComradeInLOVE**, not only for betaing the chapter but also for saving you all from heartbreak and me from angry readers. Thank you!**

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Despite the incident between Dimitri and his wolves, Rose had an easy night. She didn't have to deal with the rogues. And if the maddened beasts did show up, she had the back up of four very strong, very well trained and ferocious werewolves. On the other hand, Adrian and his companions had no such luck. The night had started off quite serene. Janine had picked up her daughter's trail in a matter of seconds.

"In which direction are they heading?" Adrian asked impatiently as he followed Janine closely.

As a response, Janine stopped and turned to growl at the young hunter. She bared her teeth as if reminding him of what she is. Because as the night progressed, Janine could feel her control slipping. Even though she focused her mind on finding her daughter, the beating hearts and the breathing sounds of the multitude behind her made her mouth salivate and her paws to tingle with the excitement and thought of ripping flesh.

Janine shook her head attempting to rid herself of the maddening thoughts and the sickening thirst for blood with the movement. She turned all her concentration on finding her only daughter. The thought of Rose in the hands of beasts like her made Janine growl deeply. She knows what those things are capable of, and she will be damned if she is going to let Rose end up cursed or even worst: dead. With determination and the love for her daughter as her anchor, Janine lowered her nose to the ground and began once again to follow the dying trail of her daughter's scent.

"You could attempt to communicate which direction they are heading," Adrian said through his teeth as he paced back and forth.

"You could shut up," said Abe icily, not liking the tone the young hunter was using with his wife. "We are all anxious to find Rose, but if you keep pestering my wife, I will not mourn your death when she rips your throat out."

Both Abe and Adrian glared at each other with narrowed eyes, wondering who would have the upper hand in a fight. Sensing that both were ready to jump at any moment, Eddie stepped forward to save both his friend and his boss from making a mistake.

"Lord Mazur, Ivashkov, please. We should not quarrel with each other at a moment like this. Rose needs us united and strong." Knowing Eddie is always the voice of reason, Abe ended the glaring contest by looking up at the bright silver Moon.

Adrian, on the other hand, continued to pace back and forth, desperate to have Rose back in his arms. When he got her back, he decided, he would take her to Budapest where they would finally wed and have gorgeous children. He will double the amount of Guardians in his domain and would not for any circumstance let Rose out of his sight ever again.

"Quit pacing," Christian groaned as Lissa held him back from punching Adrian. "You are driving me insane."

"We are wasting time!" Adrian whispered angrily to Christian, Lissa and Eddie. "Look at her. She is going in circles! And she is not giving us any sense of direction." He waved his hands towards Janine who was sniffing a tree curiously. At the sight, Adrian threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Give her time," Eddie crossed his arms and pursed his lips as Janine stopped to sniff the air again. "She must be having a difficult time battling her instincts while concentrating on finding Rose."

Christian, Lissa and Adrian turned to stare at Eddie with deep frowns and mouths slightly agape. Hating werewolves with a burning passion is part of the job requirements to be a Guardian or hunter, so Eddie suddenly justifying the beasts takes the others by surprise. At the age of four, Eddie lost everyone he held dear and close to his heart after an attack by the rogues. Back then, he lived in the outskirts of Turkey under the protection of no lord, for his village refused to live under the rule of anyone. His village took care of themselves well enough until one night it wasn't enough and they were all wiped out except for Eddie, whose mother hid him under the house. The next day, he was discovered by Abe Mazur, who upon hearing of the fate of the small village set out to find survivors and burn the village. Lord Mazur took the boy in, and when he became old enough he was sent to Budapest to train as a Guardian and protect Rose.

Eddie's tragic past would be enough to drive a person to hate all beasts with intensity. And he does. He hates the rogues more than he hates Dimitri and his pack and, considering they are now holding his best friend, that says a lot. Still feeling the gaze of his friends on him, Eddie crossed his arms and shifted uncomfortably. Adrian, still on edge, didn't take Eddie's words calmly. The hunter turned to Eddie with eyes narrowed and breathing heavily. As Adrian opened his mouth, howling broke the night. The sound echoed and bounced as if coming from every direction of the dark forest. Janine whimpered and battled the urge to respond to the howling.

"Janine?" Abe whispered stepping closer to his wife and touching her head fearlessly. "What is happening?"

Janine only responded with another whimper. Eddie, however, was the first to realize what was about to happen. "Do not let her howl." He said urgently. "If she does…"

His words were cut off by Janine's brief howl; then silence settled for what felt like hours with only the sound of the flames of the torches flickering and dancing along to a light breeze. Janine was immediately horrified by what she had done and turned to try and tell Abe what was to come. He did not see the message, for he turned to question Eddie.

"She has given away our location. To whom? I do not know. Perhaps to both the rogues and Belikov's beasts. Either way, they will come." Eddie replied grimly, setting his lips in a hard line and gripping the tilt of his sword with his right hand.

"Why?" Lissa asked clutching Christian's arm tightly.

"She is alone. Hunting is done in packs. The more there is in a pack, the better." Adrian said as he began nodding to the Guardians to prepare for battle. "It is common animal behavior," he added disdainfully.

"We must get Lissa and Oksana somewhere safe." Christian directed his words towards Abe, who will without doubt want his sister away from the beasts.

"There is nowhere to go." Eric shook his head sadly as he unsheathed his sword. "Bucharest is too far up north and with the treacherous terrain, we will not make it."

Christian's jaw twitched in desperation at having exposed Lissa to such danger. He should have forced her to stay in Istanbul, he is the man after all. But Lissa is perhaps just as strong willed as Rose. Lady Dragomir would have just found another way to go after her best friend. Both lovers looked into each other's eyes. They could see fear but also a firm determination to make it out alive.

"What do we do then?" Christian asked without removing his eyes from Lissa.

"We fight," Abe handed Lissa a sword. "If the beasts come at you, swing, stab, do anything. Do not let them bite you." Shakily, she took the sword and nodded at Abe's directions. "Same goes to you, sister."

"Get Lissa and Oksana in the carriage," Adrian commanded as he began loading up his crossbow with arrows and strapping two swords, one on each side of his hips. "Keep the beasts busy and away from them."

No one, not even Abe, protested to Adrian's commands even though the older men have more experience. However; being Lord Ivashkov, leader of the thirteen lords, gives him authority above anyone else. Besides, they all trusted him to keep them alive. Once everyone was armed, they formed a tight circle with the carriages in the center. Then, they all waited. The silence was deafening; every Guardian's and hunter's muscles were tense with anticipation. Adrenaline coursed through their veins as their eyes searched the darkened tree line.

"_You should run,_" Yeva's voice penetrated Adrian's sole thoughts of cutting the beasts with his sword. "_Nothing good will come of this. I told you they were coming._"

"And I told you to shut up," Adrian muttered under his breath. "Who are _they_?"

"_The real beasts. The real monsters._" Then Yeva's voice was gone, leaving Adrian alone with his thoughts.

"Where are they?" Eddie asked quietly trying not to break the silence. "What are they waiting for?"

_Its _mouth salivated as _it _watched the young hazel eyed Guardian swallow nervously. Oh, what _it _wouldn't give to rip his throat out letting his warm blood spill everywhere. _It _whimpered in anticipation. _Its _companion growled quietly next to _it. _They had orders from Isaiah. _Wait_, he had commanded. _Let them feel the fear_. _Their blood will taste sweeter. _And _it _knew from experience that Isaiah was right. _It _has no other memories, no recollection of its past anymore, no sense of gender or identity. _It _vaguely remembers a name: Elena. That name sounded strange and foreign. And _it _didn't like to think about the name. _It_ just wanted the memories of ripping flesh, feeling the warm red liquid down _its _throat, and the power of _its _paws as _it _ran faster than the wind. _It _flexed _its _hand-like paws as _its _nerves tingled just thinking of slaughtering.

_Now_. Came the command loud and clear in _its _head as well as _its _companions, and the hellhounds were set loose. They descended upon the humans with their mouths dripping saliva and roaring loudly. Down on the ground, Janine whimpered as she seemed to feel the rogue's malice and thirst for death. The sound of the roaring and growling set everyone on edge and took them by surprise as the beasts jumped from above the trees. Time came to a standstill. Beasts and humans made eye contact but neither made any other move. Guardians and hunters alike were astonished to say the least. The first thing they all realized was their strange mutation. The rogues could now walk on their hind legs as if they were human. And their eyes; their eyes were the color of an unsettling deep crimson.

"I see what you meant," Adrian whispered hoping Yeva would still hear him. As he set his eyes upon the newly mutated rogues, Adrian recalled Yeva's warnings that the rogues have become deformed.

The once upon a time called Elena roared unleashing chaos. Guardians and hunters snapped into action shouting their own battle cry. As Adrian sent an arrow flying to a beast's head, he wondered what else Yeva was right about. Could the rogues be after Rose? How is she the key to the beasts' destruction? And most importantly, could Rose fall in love with Belikov? Shoving his empty crossbow aside, Adrian pulled out his two swords and ran towards the nearest rogue with a blinding rage as the thought of Rose no longer loving him clouded his judgment. Without hesitation, Adrian swung his sword slicing the beast's arms off followed by another swift movement that sent the beast's head rolling away. Lord Ivashkov wasted no time in searching for another opponent to unleash his rage on.

Janine and Abe fought side to side. They worked as a team. She brought the beasts down while he hacked and sliced their limbs spluttering dark blood upon the cold rocky ground. Eric and Christian made sure to always stay near the carriages protecting Lissa and Oksana, both of whom were holding each other tight as they heard the grunts and dying screams of Guardians and wolves alike. Eddie moved fast, not wasting time on a single beast. He swung and sliced knowing his opponents would bleed to death. He wanted to be everywhere making sure he wouldn't lose any more loved ones to the rogues.

As Abe fought off two rogues that tried to sink their teeth into his arms and legs, Janine tried to fend off a group of five, including Elena. The rogues quickly located the major threat and set out to take her out. Two of them climbed on Janine's back and tried to sink their teeth into her neck and back, but she shook them off sending them flying and colliding against a tree. The other three tried swapping at her legs trying to incapacitate her. Elena managed to scratch the back of Janine's left hind leg. Janine let out a roar and quickly finished off the rogue by slashing its throat with her right front paw. Elena and the other rogue began to circle Janine. She limped as she thought of a way to take them out. She was outnumbered and hurt not only from her hind leg, but the attempts at hurting her had not all been in vain.

The other two rogues Janine had previously shoved off soon joined Elena in circling Janine. Four against one. Janine's odds weren't looking good, but she didn't want to call for help. If she did, she would be putting her loved ones in danger. The best she could do was take down as many as possible and lower the burden of Abe and the others. As the rogues prepared to pounce, one of them fell forward with an arrow to the back of its head. Eddie stood behind with his bow in hand and loading up a new arrow. Janine took the opportunity to jump on the nearest beast. They tumbled to the ground growling, snapping and swapping at each other in the hope of fatally wounding its opponent. Elena growled calling on more back up and setting them loose on Eddie. The Guardian was prepared by the time the rogues slowly began to circle him.

_He is mine_, came the silent command and the rogues backed down. _I like the fire in his eyes. _Isaiah, the leader, would have smiled wickedly if he could.

Startled, Eddie lowered his bow a little, but he quickly recovered knowing better than to let his guard down. And he was right. Isaiah dropped from a tree and landed behind the young hunter. Smelling the deadly stench of the werewolf's mouth, Eddie slowly turned to face his new opponent. For a brief second, Eddie's jaw hit the ground. The beast was taller than Belikov in his human and even wolf form. From its claws and razor sharp teeth, blood from Eddie's companions dripped onto the ground. It stood for a second looking into Eddie's eyes.

"_Your eyes,_" the thing spoke into Eddie's head causing the Guardian to jump a little, surprised that the beast could even speak let alone in someone's head! Isaiah's voice was deep and husky, perhaps more of a growl as if its vocal chords could hardly remember how to sound human. "_I have seen them before._" The creature paused recalling the eyes of its victims. All of them filled with tears and fear as they begged for mercy but slowly losing strength. "_Oh yes. That woman from Fatih, the extinguished village. Was she related to you?_"

Eddie could only think of his mother. Who else could the beast be referring to? All Eddie could remember from his mother were her eyes, a mirror of his own. The last thing her eyes, always gentle and loving, saw were the beast. Its inhuman and cruel red eyes.

"My mother," Eddie said through his teeth as he tossed aside the bow and unsheathed his sword.

Isaiah chuckled in Eddie's head. "_She screamed like a bitch. I hope you do not._"

With a battle cry that hurt his vocal chords and tears in his eyes, Eddie swung at the beast. Isaiah moved easily out of the way of the sharp blade. For what felt like ages, Eddie fought the beast always missing its flesh by a second too late. Isaiah began to grow tired and bored of the young Guardian while Eddie couldn't and wouldn't give up until the beast's head was cut off. Growing confident, Isaiah became lazy in avoiding Eddie's sword. With a strike of luck, Eddie managed to stab Isaiah drawing an alarming amount of blood. The wound instead of causing harm made Isaiah upset. With a roar, Isaiah clawed Eddie's left face leaving deep marks and causing the Guardian to stumble forward and fall on the ground. The beast wasted no time and sunk its teeth into Eddie's right shoulder.

Janine ripped her opponent's stomach open spilling its entrails all over the ground just as she heard Eddie scream out. Raising her head, she saw Eddie on the ground with a colossal beast on top of him chewing on Eddie's shoulder. She knew the beast was dragging Eddie's end, for the beast could have ripped his arm off with a single bite. Anger coursed through Janine as she watched Eddie, who is like a son to her, in pain. Without hesitation, she ran towards the beast shoving all others that got in her way. She shoved the beast off with her head and stood protectively over a motionless Eddie. Isaiah turned to Janine with a murderous glint in its red eyes. Both werewolves looked at each other for several seconds, neither making a move as everything around them moved in a blur. The screams of the dying Guardians were background noise. They couldn't see limbs flying everywhere and blood spluttering onto the ground only each other's eyes. Whoever backed down first would lose.

"_You are strong for being a loner,_" Isaiah informed Janine with a mocking tone in its voice. "_But not strong enough to defeat me."_

Janine growled deeply and bared her teeth snapping her jaw several times.

"_Let us find out then,_" Isaiah chuckled and prepared to pounce when suddenly the sky began to light up, and the strength provided by the full Moon began to slowly fade. "_Another time, then. We will meet soon again, Lady Mazur. We both seek your daughter._" And with that, Isaiah commanded its beasts to retreat.

Out of the fifty Guardians that set out to find Rose, only twenty were left unscathed. The rest were shred to pieces, taken as meals by the rogues, or bitten. Among those bitten but otherwise alive is Eddie. He lays pale and sweaty on a cot and bandages on his mangled arm. Oksana has been able to save his arm, but it is now up to his body whether he recovers or he'll have to get his arm removed. As everyone rests after fighting off the hellhounds, the topic of what will happen with Eddie is discussed.

"What do you think we will do? Burn him, of course!" Adrian scoffs and paces in front of Janine, Abe, Lissa, Christian and Eric. "We always burn those who have been bitten. Why should it be any different now?"

"Because we are not talking about just anyone, Adrian!" Christian snaps getting to his feet and clenching his fists. "We are talking about Eddie, our friend."

"We have burned our own family, our blood. Why should we stop for a _friend_?" Adrian growls getting into Christian's personal space. "There is no special treatment. I will not risk this mission for him." With that Adrian turns around to head towards Eddie and set fire to his body. Lord Ivashkov stops when he sees Eddie barely able to stand and with hideous marks on his face.

"I agree with Lord Ivashkov," Eddie says weakly. "I am no different. I am not special."

Everyone falls silent for a while. Then an argument erupts. Everyone agrees that Eddie will live while Adrian is the only one pushing for burning.

"Enough!" Janine shouts. The night has taken its toll on her. Fighting the madness and the hellhounds has left her irritable, with little patience for idiocy. "No way in hell am I letting Eddie, my son, get burned."

"You have no say in this!" Adrian snaps pointing his sword at her. "You should have been burned years ago as well!"

"Ivashkov!" Abe steps forward with his own sword drawn. "I will not have you speak to my wife like that ever again. Fight to the death…"

"No one is fighting to the death!" Lissa speaks for the first time since coming out of the carriage and seeing limbs and blood scattered everywhere. She has seen gory images before, all of her life as a matter of fact, but never anything like today. "Adrian, for once in your life, shut up. Abe, stop trying to kill Adrian. And Eddie, you are not fucking dying tonight or any other night! Rose would be seriously pissed if you do. Does anyone here want to face the wrath of Rosemarie Hathaway Mazur? I did not think so! Now, let us find her for God's sake!"

No one says anything after Lissa's outburst. It takes them all by surprise that quiet and gentle Lissa has snapped like that. The pressure of finding Rose and now a bitten Eddie has driven her to new edges, and it scares them a little. What will happen if they can't find Rose? What will happen to Eddie? Will he turn into a beast like the rogues?

"We must find Rose," Christian says somberly as the questions plague his head. "With her back, we can figure out how to kill the beasts once and for all." He turns to a miserable looking Eddie. "There is hope. Rumors say that when Belikov dies, the curse dies with him. You will be all right." He chuckles darkly. "Besides, Lissa is right. Rose would be extremely upset if you let us burn you."

Adrian shakes his head. "You are all fools. Think this is a joke? Think we will be safe with two beasts on our side?" He points towards Janine then Eddie. "They will snap at any moment."

"When that moment comes, we will deal." Abe says with finality in his voice.

"Now what?" Eddie asks defeated and sitting down on the ground. "If you are not letting me burn, what do we do?"

"We find my daughter before you turn into one of them."

Christian pats Eddie on the back causing the Guardian to grimace but say nothing otherwise. "Not a problem."

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**And before anyone says there's no R&D action, don't worry. There will be. I promise there will be smut later on. Just hang in there! 3 **


	22. Baia

**Thank you for all the reviews, favs, and follows. As always, thanks to my beta, **ComradeInLOVE** for doing her thing! You rock honey! :) My beta enjoyed this chapter, so I hope you do too! And do let me know.**

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Why did Rose ever think that Dimitri would let her walk away peacefully into the sunset? Maybe her rage clouded her judgment, so it took her by surprise when Mason jumped off from above a tree directly into Sonya's path, startling the poor horse, as if she needed the scare in her sickly condition. Still, Rose tries not to despair. Perhaps Mason is just going to accompany her and make sure no harm comes to her and Sonya. She dismisses the thought quickly, for it is unlikely. Knowing Dimitri is not going to let her walk away so easily, Rose begins to formulate a plan in her head.

"Where are you heading to, milady?" Mason asks casually as he steps aside letting Rose steer Sonya forward.

"I am heading home, and you should… go find some clothing." Rose grimaces, avoiding looking at Mason, who is still naked and lightly jogging to keep up with Sonya.

"I told you, clothing restricts movement. I am quite all right at the moment." Mason tries to grin cockily at Rose, but for some reason, the young werewolf feels like things are not the same between them anymore. Clearing his throat, Mason opens his mouth to express his thoughts.

"I know what you are going to say," Rose whispers as she looks straight ahead. "You feel awful for last night."

"Not what I was going to say at all," Mason scoffs halfheartedly.

"Really? Then forgive my arrogance." Rose arches her left eyebrow at Mason. "What were you going to say, then?"

Mason pauses and absentmindedly touches the scratches left on his face by Dimitri. How can he explain to Rose the depth of his horror and guilt for what he almost did the night before? Despite the short time they have spent together, Mason feels a deep connection with Rose. That connection is nothing romantic because, for one, she belongs to Dimitri; and second, he sees her more as a sister. The epiphany hits him heavily: Rose reminds him of his sister, Angeline. After Mason was turned, he had to leave his family behind or he would commit the same mistake Dimitri did. The last he heard of his sister was that she married and was quite happy until she died of old age. Even after all the years that have passed, Mason can't help missing Angeline and their mother.

In a way, Rose reminds him so much of her. Not because of their looks, but because of the fiery spirit they seem to share. Angeline would never take insults from anyone, and she was a force to reckon with, much like Rose. Just thinking of what could have happened had Dimitri not stopped him, makes Mason feel upset with himself. He could have killed Rose: the living remainder of his past.

"Mase?" Rose stops Sonya and unmounts. Standing in front of Mason is not easy, as she has to remind herself not to stare at his private area. However, she can see how Mason is torturing himself over what happened the previous night. During the time they have been traveling, Mason has confessed to Rose that he misses being human. As time passes, he seems to be forgetting what that is like, and he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to be like the rogues, killing mindlessly for no reason other than the pleasure of feeling capable of taking a life easily. "Stop thinking about last night. You did your best, and you succeeded. Look at us! We are alive today!"

"What about tomorrow? Or the next full Moon? You could have died. _I _could have killed _you_. In fact, I wanted to." Mason avoids looking at Rose as he says the last part. "You looked delicious." He mutters.

Silence settles for a couple of seconds. The silence is unsettling and maddening. Mason begins to panic wondering if he has finally scared Rose, until she finally breaks the silence.

"I have been told that many times," she says with utmost seriousness. Both look at each other then begin to laugh uncontrollably.

The absurdity of the conversation makes them laugh and unable to contain themselves. Rose, however, is the first to regain control and watches as Mason holds his stomach and tears begin to stream down his cheeks. Her plan was to distract Mason with conversation only to take off at the slightest chance. Rose knew she could take on Mason; one against one, those were better odds. However, seeing how truly carefree Mason looks after being angry with himself, Rose realizes she can't just leave. She has to help him, Alberta, Ivan and hell even Dimitri. Deep inside Dimitri's brute and cold exterior must lay a human being just like Mason. There is hope.

When Mason finally stops laughing, he turns serious again, though his face is blushed and his cheeks are wet. "Still, I must apologize, milady. I made a promise before not to harm you, and I almost broke it last night. I make another vow to protect you from everything. I will lay down my life for you."

"That is not necessary, Mason," Rose mumbles uncomfortably and shifts from one foot to another. "I have had men lay down their lives for me since my birth. I have always been sheltered, one of the many reasons I decided to become who I am today. I can kick your ass. Do not forget it."

"Oh, believe me. I keep that in mind, among other things." And with a wink, things go back to normal between Rose and Mason like the night before, where Mason tried to kill Rose, never happened. Of course, forcing Rose back to Dimitri puts a damper on Rose and Mason's friendship.

"We must go back, milady." Mason says nervously after walking aimlessly further away from the rest. "You did not think he would let you go, did you?"

Rose sighs dramatically. "Of course not. I knew he would send you or perhaps Ivan." She pauses and pats Sonya gently. "Why did he not come himself?" She tries to keep the unsettling disappointment out of her voice. "He owes me an apology."

"You should know by now Dimitri does not apologize."

"He does not do much of anything except to growl and grouch. Has he always been that way?" Again, the curiosity begins to gnaw at Rose. She knows better than to ask questions about Dimitri's past. His pack is reluctant to speak of him, and Dimitri, well, she can't even ask a simple question because he's always snapping and pushing her away. What is the point of carrying her around? What does he want from her? Always the same questions never to be answered.

"No, he was not always this way." Mason replies cautiously and somberly. "Mistakes were made. Those mistakes are the kind that leaves a mark on someone. He…" Mason pauses and looks around fearful that Dimitri might pop out of nowhere, which he sometimes tends to do. "He is afraid of getting close to anyone."

Rose's eyes get wide with the hope that she will finally get the answers she fervently seeks. However, it is not Dimitri that interrupts, but Ivan.

"What are you doing?" He snaps as he tosses Mason a change of clothes. "You know we should not speak about the past."

"I know, I know." Mason rolls his eyes and begins to change. "Maybe she should know. We are going to Baia after all."

"Baia?" Rose's jaw hits the ground. "I thought we were going to Moscow? Why Baia?" She hoped she wouldn't be going so far away. Baia is far, and she doubts her family, Adrian, will search for her there. All the bleeding she did along the way was for nothing.

Ivan and Mason engage in a hushed conversation in which Rose can only catch snippets of "home" and "Dimitri is upset." Growing frustrated with the werewolves, Rose shoves both of them demanding their attention. "I want to know what the hell is going on. I thought we were going to Moscow. What is in Baia?"

Mason and Ivan share a look. Ivan throws his hands up and groans. "Baia is home. Baia is where the Belikov household is located." Mason finally explains as Ivan just shakes his head.

"The Belikov household? Dimitri was a lord?" The skepticism is clear in Rose's voice, and she does not hide it. How can someone as brutish, infuriating, selfish, and arrogant as Dimitri be a lord? "Why had I not heard about this?"

"The Belikov line died ages ago. Only Dimitri, Alberta and Yeva remain. I doubt Yeva…"

"Yeva? The witch?" Rose interrupts whatever Mason was about to say. Her eyes are wide with surprise and her mouth hangs open. The werewolves stare worriedly at Rose as she tries to make sense of her incoherent thoughts as she mumbles gibberish. "That conniving, little old hag! She never told me! What the fucking…" She pauses in her rant and turns to the appalled werewolves. "Where is she? Is she in Baia? I need to speak to her. Now."

The witch has been leaving Rose with more questions than answers. And it's about damn time she gets them. If the witch is in Baia, Rose will gladly make the trip even if it takes her further away from her family and fiancé. But neither Mason nor Ivan responds to Rose's request. Instead, they stare at each other with frowns on their faces. Both seem to ask the same question with their eyes: how do Rose and Yeva know each other?

"Rose, milady," Mason hesitates. "How do you know Dimitri's grandmother?"

"You have not answered my question," she jerks her chin up defiantly and crosses her arms. "I do not have to answer yours. Where is she?"

"She is not in Baia," Ivan answers brusquely. "Now, how do you know Yeva?"

Disappointment washes over Rose. She uncrosses her arms and lowers herself onto the ground feeling defeated. What the hell is she supposed to do now? There's nothing in Baia for her. Only uncertainty because she still has not figured out what Dimitri wants with her. But she can only guess it's not going to be pleasant. However, Dimitri is not going to let her walk away. The fact that Mason and Ivan are standing right in front of her is proof of that. A thought comes into Rose's mind: even though Dimitri owns her, well, not own but has her as a prisoner, does not mean she must comply with everything he says. In fact, she should be kicking and screaming. She will not make it easy for him.

"Help!" Rose begins to shout at the top of her lungs making both Mason and Ivan jump fifty feet in the air. "Please! Someone help! I have been taken hostage! Please! Help!"

Mason and Ivan share a puzzled look wondering what the hell has gotten into Rose. A couple of miles away, Dimitri stops his fuzzing over Alberta's wound, which was left by Ivan on her belly. He hears the sound of Rose's screaming, and he stands at once. He takes a couple of feet but stops when he hears the rest of Rose's screams.

"Werewolves! Please! Help!"

Dimitri rolls his eyes and sighs pinching the bridge of his nose. "She is driving me insane."

"In a good or bad way?" Alberta smirks then winces as the notion hurts. "Is she driving you insane with love?" She whispers as she tries to rise.

"No," Dimitri snaps. "She is stubborn and… mad. She is raving mad."

"She is also quite beautiful and compassionate. I know what she did for you last night. You should have thanked her instead of scream at her. You want her to love you and give her life up for you? The least you could do is to be kind to her. And love her. It should not be so hard."

Dimitri turns to Alberta with narrowed eyes as his jaw twitches. "Not so hard? Have you forgotten what love does to people? First my father. Then me. Love only makes a person weak. I refuse to be weak."

Alberta says nothing for a while as she just looks at Dimitri with an impassive look. "Then we will always be this. We will always be beasts. Powerful at least. We might as well join the rogues."

Before Dimitri can respond, Rose's shrieking gets louder and closer. One thing Dimitri has to admit: she can act. Her voice was filled with desperation and fear. He wonders just how much of that is an act, though. Perhaps, after last night, she is truly afraid. However, now she sounds truly upset.

"Put me down, mutt! I will chop you to pieces and feed your flesh to the dogs! Put me down!"

"How will you cut me to pieces, Rose?" Mason chuckles in the distance. "With your wooden weapons?" Both Ivan and Mason cackle as Rose screams in frustration.

"What is going on?" Dimitri shouts and turns to a sight that makes him chuckle along with Alberta. Mason carries Rose on his shoulder as Rose slams her fists against his lower back. She wiggles, kicks and screams, but to Mason it's like she's a mere fly. "Kicking and screaming now are we, milady? Let me give you a real reason to scream." Dimitri says as Mason drops Rose at the Alpha's feet. "You will not be kicking, but writhing in pleasure."

"Fuck you." Rose snaps venomously as she gets up and dusts herself off. "You think you are funny? With your emotional changes? One moment cold and brutish, the next… this. Whatever the fuck this is? Do not speak to me. Stay out of my sight." She turns to Ivan. "Give me my horse. And let us move. I want this trip over."

No one says a thing as Rose climbs on her horse and gallops away in the direction of Moscow. Dimitri can only stare dumbfounded at the coldness, and perhaps even hurt in her eyes and voice.

"One step forward, two steps back." Mason mutters. "Remember when a certain someone suggested you be nice to her? Perhaps you should step it up."

With that and a reproachful look, Mason begins to run to catch up to Rose leaving Dimitri to ponder whether he can be pleasant and kind when they are heading to where it all began. Back to the very place Dimitri swore never to return to. The rest of the ride to Moscow is silent. No one dares to speak for fear of being the target of Rose's wrath. In Moscow, Dimitri is joined by the rest of the pack lead by Arthur. Even when they are joined by more, the silence still reigns. Dimitri uses the silence to think of ways he could be kind to Rose. What had Mason said before? Offer an anecdote of his life? No. Dimitri cannot do that. He will scare Rose away. Be kind. Be kind. The Alpha chants as he gets closer to Rose up ahead.

When Mason sees his alpha riding next to Rose, he falls back to check on Alberta's wound. For a while, neither Rose nor Dimitri says a thing. They ride in silence looking straight ahead. Drawing on courage, Dimitri spares a sidelong glance at Rose. He sees her jaw twitching, her hands gripping the reins tightly, and her lips set in a hard line. He looks away quickly before she realizes he's watching her. He has to admit that even when she's upset, she's beautiful. So beautiful it hurts him.

Dimitri clears his throat. "I…"

"Why has neither Alberta nor Mason healed?" She interrupts. Her voice is barely audible and void of emotion, but she still doesn't turn to look at Dimitri.

He forgets how to speak still surprised at how angry she is. What has he done to her? "I…" He clears his throat and berates himself. He's an alpha, not a love stricken boy. "Mason received a wound from the Alpha. Those take longer to heal. It is a punishment; a reminder to never disobey again." He pauses and glances back at Alberta wincing in pain with the movement of the horse. "I do not know why Alberta does not heal."

The wolves wonder the same. Why hasn't Alberta healed? She should have healed instantly. Rose doesn't offer any input and instead, returns to her silent treatment and still avoiding looking at Dimitri. The Alpha racks his brain trying to think of something to say. He doesn't like the silence; he misses the bickering, the shouting, the threats… he misses the old Rose.

"Roza," he whispers.

"It is Rose," she replies still void of emotion. "Not Roza."

"I owe you an apology, milady." Dimitri continues ignoring her protest. "I should not have shouted at you." The words seem to get stuck in his throat at first. He is not used to apologizing, but if he wants Rose to give up her life to free him, he has to make things right between them. "I now know you were only trying to help. It was very stupid, but I appreciate it."

To his surprise, Rose chuckles, humorlessly. "You appreciate my stupidity? Great apology." She spares him an annoyed glance before pushing Sonya to move ahead. The horse complies and soon leaves Dimitri behind. Dimitri decides not to follow and leave Rose be.

Reaching Baia takes them a couple more days in which Rose doesn't speak to anyone. Her jaw twitches angrily every once in a while but otherwise there are no outbursts. Mason and Dimitri can't stop their worrying. Both have heard of the fiery temper of the huntress, and for it to just die away so easily is unsettling. And it continues that way until they reach Baia, or what is left of it. The sun is setting and the horizon looks as if it is on fire with the casting light of the sinking sun. The sight of the Belikov household is all everyone sees, though. The surrounding stone walls and towers that seemed to once touch the sky are crumbling down. Weeds grow tall and menacing along the entrance. The silence among the group seems to get heavier as the three horses and the men on foot cross the threshold. Dimitri is tense and quieter than all of them. He rides alone far behind. His shoulders slump, his eyes hold a haunted and pained look, and the corners of his lips are turned down.

As they travel through the deserted streets, with some houses burned to the ground, others falling to pieces at the mercy of Mother Nature, Rose can't help marvelling at the size of the Belikov household. Despite the decrepit state, she can tell that once this place held beauty and grandeur. Her father's domain would fit here three times! Rose turns to Mason walking to her right. He drags his feet and seems quite uncomfortable as they move closer to the castle, which towers had come into sight since passing through the broken gates.

"What happened?" She whispers as her voice is raspy from not using it in the past couple of days, and she would continue with her silent treatment and mission to make Belikov's life a living hell. But the curiosity is getting the best of her again. Besides, by the look of it, Belikov's life is already a living hell.

"Time," Mason replies gloomily. "In time, everyone left. It did not help that surrounding lords, upon hearing of Dimitri and his… change decided to attack. We heard Karolina, Dimitri's older sister, held her ground. She managed to keep the household afloat for a couple of years. But no one wanted to remain in the place where evil was born."

Rose turns to briefly look at Dimitri, still dragging the feet of his horse and falling further behind. She bites the corner of her lower lip, and, on a whim, steers Sonya towards Dimitri. Thankfully Mason doesn't follow. When Rose reaches Dimitri, she slows down to his pace. Neither says a thing. She opens and closes her mouth several times unsure of what to say. What possessed her to join Dimitri in his sulking? Rose may never understand; she does convince herself that in his vulnerability, she could get answers. But the questions get stuck in her throat as she takes a look at the deep sadness in his eyes. _This is not the time_.

So they still ride in silence until they reach the steps of the castle. Rose's mouth hangs open in amazement. Yes, the castle is falling to pieces, but it is the biggest castle she has ever seen, even bigger than the Dragomir's. And the architecture, the beauty of it would put the Ivashkov's castle to shame. The towers seem to caress the darkening clouds, and the material seems to be from the finest white colored limestone from France. Still astonished, Rose dismounts and takes slow steps towards the stairs.

"Allow me to enter first, milady." Dimitri says with authority yet some gentleness in his voice that takes Rose by more surprise than the grandeur of his castle. "I must see that there are no bandits hiding inside. I would not have any harm come to you."

Without waiting for a response, Dimitri climbs the steps swiftly; his boots hitting the flagstone floor causing echo in the desolate area. He knows there are no bandits inside. He would have smelled them miles away and sent Arthur or Ivan to take care of them. No, Dimitri wants to enter first and get his raging emotions back into the vault he locked them up in years ago. At the door, Dimitri hesitates briefly closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. Instead of smelling the mold and mud, Dimitri smells the blood and fear of his family, his people, as he slaughtered them. Instead of seeing darkness behind his closed eyelids, he sees the disappointment in his mother's eyes, his bloodied hands after he stabbed his father, and the betrayal of the man he held on a pedestal. Instead of hearing the crickets and hissing of snakes, he hears the laughter of his sisters soon forgotten as the screams of his victims resonate in his ears.

Dimitri's shoulders rise and fall rapidly as his nostrils flare overwhelmed with all the images, sounds, and smells. Overwhelmed with emotions ranging from self-loathing to longing, pain, sadness, hatred; all of it happening at once. His forehead rests on the African Blackwood made door. Drowning in the sea of his emotions, Dimitri doesn't hear Rose's approaching steps until her right hand rests delicately between his shoulder blades. The single touch brings Dimitri back from the past, and only Rose exists. Her breathing drowns all sounds from his past. Her smell of sweat and roses overpowers all others. Slowly he turns to meet Rose's eyes. Out of all the emotions pouring from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes, he only recognizes compassion. He saw compassion in her eyes years ago as she told he didn't have to be a beast. He could be human.

No words are exchanged as they look into each other's eyes. A message passes between them. Dimitri shakes his head and looks away. Rose sighs, then steps towards the door and places her hand on the cold and smooth wood. Just as she is about to shove the door open, Dimitri places his hand over hers, and together, they open the door to their new life.

The smell of rotten, wet wood is overwhelming, and the foyer is pitch-dark. Rose can't see a thing as she stands coughing due to the incredible amount of dust pilling up on every surface.

"Can you see anything?" Rose asks between coughs.

"No," Dimitri replies sounding unfazed by any of it. Of course, inside he's anything but unfazed. In fact, he can see everything clearly. He can clearly see the spiraling staircase with its metal rose and vines decorated railing, the white and blue marble floor covered by a red velvet carpet, the pillars holding up the ceiling that never seems to have an end, and paintings on the walls of all the great Belikovs. But they are all just memories. He shakes off the images of his childhood. "We need a torch."

As he turns to go back outside and have Mason light up a torch, he collides with Rose. She grunts as she hits the Russian's muscled chest. He catches her like he has always done. One thing Rose has to admit, the jailer has never let her fall, not once. He pulls her up and is about to let go, remembering all of those times Rose has told him to not touch her. But the image of their small kiss comes back full force, and he finds himself leaning forward again.

Rose's breathing picks up and her knees begin to feel weak with anticipation of the kiss. She grips his forearms and digs her nails into his flesh as their lips hover millimeters away. _He is teasing_, she thinks and for some reason she wishes he didn't. She wishes he would just kiss her. But he doesn't. He pulls away after a couple of seconds leaving Rose, whose chest is rapidly falling and rising, to fume over the fact that he rejected her. No one rejects Rosemarie Hathaway Mazur. She is the most coveted lady in all of Europe! How dare a beast… she stops her internal ranting as she realizes he is exactly that: a beast. She should not desire a kiss from him.

"I will not kiss you again, milady," Dimitri bows and fails to hide his smirk upon hearing Rose's erratic heartbeat and smells her desire. "Not until you ask me to."

With that, Dimitri leaves feeling like he has won something, because he has. He has finally found a way to earn Rose's affection. He smiles as he thinks that he has never been closer to obtaining his freedom. What he doesn't consider is that his plan will backfire, and Rose will earn his affections, too.


	23. Little Red

**AN: Special thanks for this chapter go to two people: first, my beta **ComradeInLOVE** for working so hard on such short notice. You did an amazing job hon! Secondly, to my good friend and incredible author **Little-Angry-Kitten **thank you for the lovely banners that inspired me to write today. I recommend y'all check out the banners. I have posted the link to a B&B album on my profile along with the password to access said album. Please do check them out; they're freaking awesome! Lastly, please don't hate me for this chapter! It is my birthday today! ;) Enjoy!**

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"This place is revolting," Rose scrunches up her nose as the beasts move around the castle, opening doors and unbarring windows to let the breeze and moonlight in. "It smells of death and decay. And look at it falling to pieces; why are we staying here?"

Dimitri tries to ignore Rose's rant, but he can't help the odd way her words pull at his heart. Of course he agrees that the place is falling to pieces and smells absolutely foul, and that is what tugs at his heart. His home. His home once held majesty and admiration from lords all over Europe. Now, it's nothing more than a rotting hellhole.

"You are correct, milady," Mason agrees as well. The redheaded werewolf sits next to Rose by the stairwell with a torch in his hand. "It is a piece of shit. But it did not use to be so. Oh no, you should have seen the land in the spring and summer. On the front lawn, the most exquisite red roses your beautiful eyes have ever seen grew. Birds chirped as people conversed in the market. Rainbows rose in the horizon as maidens pranced around naked in the streams and lakes. Now imagine everything colored brown, red, and orange during the fall. In winter, a sheet of white kissed the ground and children ran through the streets laughing and frolicking…" Mason trails off as the sadness takes over the happiness in his eyes upon remembering far away memories.

None of the wolves says anything especially Dimitri, who can clearly see everything Mason is describing. He can see Viktoria and Sonya throwing snowballs at each other. They always ended up bickering because their game gained momentum and ferocity and they hit each other entirely, too hard in the face. Dimitri chuckles quietly as he remembers Vika walking in with her nose as red as the roses his mother grew and tears rolling down her cheeks. He remembers picking her up in his arms and wiping her tears away. Years later, he became the cause of her tears.

"What happened?" Rose asks so quietly, but her voice sounds loud and clear in the dead silence.

No one dares speak. Instead, all eyes turn to Dimitri as if waiting for a signal that it's ok to answer or giving him the chance to speak of the past. Dimitri remains motionless in the position he took by a window overlooking the front lawn. He can feel the eyes of his pack and Rose on him, but he doesn't fidget or feel pressured to answer. He will not answer. The reason of his downfall will remain a secret shared only with his pack. He will take that secret to the grave, if it ever comes. Slowly, he turns around and takes slow steps toward Rose. The torches cast an eerie light upon Dimitri's features. It is then that Rose can and would believe if someone told her Dimitri is a God. A god of fire… and good looks.

"Mason," Dimitri commands without taking his eyes off Rose, who feels like her legs have been turned into mud with the intensity of his eyes. He wanted to kiss her, she could see it in his eyes. And now, as he watches her, she can see the lingering desire not only to kiss her but possibly do more. "Please escort the lady to her chambers."

Mason quickly stands then pauses as he begins to climb the stairs. "Which room?"

"Any will do." Dimitri replies still not breaking eye contact with Rose.

Mason nods and continues to climb only to realize halfway that Rose has not moved. "Are you coming, milady?"

The seconds pass by, and Rose does not move still lost in Dimitri's eyes. Nothing is being said between them unlike earlier when Rose told him with her eyes they would open the door together only to have Dimitri shake his head but change his mind at the end. They can't take their eyes off each other because the lust is smothering them. Dimitri would be a fool to deny that he is not feeling anything, because he is. His manhood twitches as Rose licks her lips nervously and perhaps sensually to tease him. On her part, Rose can feel heat pooling between her legs as Dimitri keeps looking at her.

"Would you like us to leave?" Mason interrupts as laughter builds up in his throat. He and all the wolves can smell the lust, and while it is sickening, it is also amusing because both Dimitri and Rose seem to have forgotten they loathe each other and are practically eye fucking one another.

Dimitri and Rose both look away at the same time. "No. Take the lady up to her chambers. Find her clothing and make sure she bathes. We will have dinner in the dining room. As for all of you, get to work. We will restore this place back to its glory. We are home, and we are here to stay."

With that, Dimitri leaves the castle leaving Rose to gather her thoughts after what just happened. How or why is she lusting after the beast she swore to hate until her dying breath? When did she stop hating him? The Alpha, on his part, needs space and fresh air, so he decides to go out for a walk on the streets. His plan to make Rose lust after him seems to be affecting him as well, which it shouldn't. He swore to never fall in love. If his lust for sex seems to be returning though, then that must mean the curse is weak. As he wanders aimlessly, he realizes that both good and bad things are about to happen, and he can't stop them. He is not entirely sure he wants to stop them.

"Follow me, milady," Mason chuckles quietly as he grabs Rose's arm. "I believe you are in need of a cold shower after that tease."

Rose recovers and shakes her arm indignantly. "What tease?" She snorts. "I do not know what you are talking about."

This time, Mason snorts. "You know. You were eye fucking my alpha. You two have been doing it lately. Well, other times you two just glare at each other. But I have been told that angry sex is fantastic." He wiggles his eyebrows at Rose and nudges her with his elbow as they walk towards what would be Rose's chambers for the next who knows how many days or years.

"Mason, have you even had sex? Ever?" She raises her eyebrows as they stop in front of a mahogany door.

"Of course!" Mason snorts. "I was sixteen when I had my first woman. It was not very fun, but the second time… Anyway, how about you?" Mason frowns. "I bet you and your fiancé…"

"Shut up," Rose mumbles and crosses her arms narrowing her eyes at the young werewolf. "Do not speak about Adrian or what I do and not do with him."

Mason stares at Rose for a while then opens the door to her room as he ponders her strange behavior. Sure, a woman speaking of her private matters is rare. Only whores boast about their conquests, but they had been teasing each other as they have been doing since the start of their trip. There is no reason to suddenly become upset. Unless…

"Rose, are you a virgin?" Mason asks cautiously as Rose inspects the spacious room with a four-poster bed in the center with dirty golden bed sheets and a large chest at the foot of the bed. Rose doesn't even want to imagine lying in that bed. A chandelier made of gold hangs dangerously low on the roof, and the dressing table is full of dust bunnies with a broken mirror.

Rose stops inspecting the room to turn to narrow her eyes at Mason. "That is not your business, Mason." She says through her teeth.

"Forgive me, milady," Mason bows and lowers his head in shame. "I crossed the line."

Rose takes a deep, cleansing breath. "Do not worry about it." She pauses and considers whether she should answer Mason. She doesn't owe him anything. But then, there's no point in hiding her virginity. And this could be her chance to extract answers out of him without interruption. "I am a virgin. Adrian and I never…" She trails off and blushes deeply. "We never had sex. Every time we tried, something seemed to happen." Thinking of Adrian oddly enough doesn't bring longing to Rose. She is deeply sad to be away from those she loves and love her, but she's not too desperate to go back. The answers she seeks, she will only find with the pack.

"Perhaps it was fate," Mason says cautiously as he moves to unbar the window. "Perhaps it was not meant to be."

"Careful, Mason," Rose whispers as she touches the dressing table gently. "You are crossing that line again." She meets his eyes, and the fire in them causes Mason to take an involuntary step backwards. "I like you. I do, but I do not want to cut off your tongue as you sleep."

Mason swallows loudly then clears his throat before speaking again. "I will leave you then. Clothes are in the chest, they should be untouched by Mother Nature or anyone else. I shall come fetch you once Dimitri orders so."

As Mason makes for the door, Rose stops him by grasping his right elbow firmly. "You are not leaving yet. Not until you answer my questions."

"Rose," Mason sighs and shakes his head. "You know I cannot…"

"I have answered every question you threw my way!" She stomps her feet on the dirty wooden floor. "It is only fair you answer mine."

"I cannot talk about Dimitri!" Mason snaps right back jerking his arm away from Rose's grasp. "I swore to lay down my life for you, Rose; but ultimately, my lord, my Alpha, is Dimitri. More than his life and yours are at stake if I say the wrong thing."

She narrows her eyes and steps closer to the redhead. "What more is at stake? What are you talking about?"

Mason throws his hands up in the air as if defeated. "You see, milady? Every time I open my mouth… I cannot tell you, Rose. Only Dimitri can, if he wishes to do so. If I were you, I would not push him. Now, I will send Sydney with warm water for you to bathe. Dimitri will be waiting."

"Let him wait a thousand fucking years!" Rose shrieks as Mason slams the door behind him. "I will not be his whore! I will not obey him. He is neither my lord nor my Alpha!" With another frustrated scream and a kick to the door, Rose turns around and begins to knock the dressing table down, and rip down the silky, blood colored drapes hanging loosely on the four-poster bed and window.

Once she has let out her anger, the exhaustion is unbearable and even the filthy mattress looks heavenly after days of sleeping on the cold ground or hard cots. But there is still one more thing to destroy: the chest and the clothes within. Wiping her face of treacherous and wrathful tears, Rose kneels by the chest and opens it slowly. Inside are the most beautiful dresses Rose had ever seen. More beautiful than any her father could give her, more than Lissa ever dreamed of. The first dress is made of silk with white long sleeves that while worn will fall off the shoulders, and the skirt is floor length and black with white intricate embroidery. Another dress has no sleeves leaving the shoulders bare. The corset is gray with laces in the front while the skirt is black and also floor length. On and on, Rose pulls out dresses all in different colors, all different styles that she has not seen until now. The last one nearly makes her weep.

A velvet red, long sleeved dress with low neckline and embroidered with golden roses remind her so much of the first time she met the beast. _I cannot be human. Not without you_, she recalls the beast saying once she found out who he was. Rose grips the dress tightly in her hands as her mind is working twice as fast recalling past conversations, past actions, and trying to make it all fit in. Yeva's prediction comes back to her as if their first meeting is happening all over again: _You will love him passionately. You will die for him_.

"What…" She trails off as her frown deepens. Rose can feel the truth hiding behind a thin veil covering her eyes. She can almost grasp it, but it slips through her fingers like water or blood. A timid knock jostles Rose out of her thoughts sending the truth hiding deep inside her heart. "Enter." She sighs and rubs her face with both her hands.

"Milady," a girl with golden hair past her shoulders steps timidly in carrying two large buckets of steaming water. "I bring water for your bath."

"Allow me…" Rose throws the dresses hastily back on the chest and hurries over to the girl. "Those buckets look heavy."

"Oh no, milady," she smiles shyly. "They weight next to nothing."

Rose lets the girl carry the buckets to the adjacent bathroom. From where Rose stands, she can hear the girl move around and the splashing of water in the tub. Slowly, Rose makes her way to the bathroom and finds the girl finishing up with scrubbing the tub clean. As the girl works, Rose inspects her movements. They are brutish yet precise, the way she moves reminds Rose of Dimitri: rough yet graceful.

"Are you one of them?" Rose asks as she crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the doorway.

"One of them?" The girl smiles as she pours the steaming water into the clean iron tub. "A pack member? Yes. I was bitten almost a year ago." The girl pauses and looks down at the moving water. "I was bitten by one of the rogues. Lord Belikov saved me."

Rose scoffs and rolls her eyes. "He saved you? How did he save you, exactly? Because of him you are… a beast. A monster. You have killed innocent people. How do you live with yourself?" Despite the time spent with the werewolves, Rose can't shake off years of training in which she was drilled to never trust the beast. To strike before they do. _Never hesitate. _

The girl shrugs and begins to collect her buckets. "I do not think of what I have done. I do not linger on thoughts of those I have murdered. I can only pray for the salvation of my soul when judgment comes, and I believe Lord Belikov can set us free."

Rose makes sure to keep her face impassive and her heartbeat steady. The girl is giving her answers without even asking. "What is your name?"

"Sydney Sage, milady." Sydney curtsies.

"Are you a noblewoman? No, I have not heard of the Sage name." Rose tries to place the girl's origins and family. Sydney looks Rose's age, about the same height, and golden brown eyes. "Where are you from? Where did the beasts take you from?"

"I was taken from Budapest. During the rogues' attack of Lord Adrian Ivashkov's birthday party; I was Lady Daniella Ivashkov's companion."

"Oh my," Rose gasps as she recalls the young lady that always accompanied a sick Daniella everywhere. Sydney never spoke to Rose directly, and Rose never paid much attention to the maiden as Rose was always pitying Daniella for her madness after watching Meredith, her daughter, get ripped apart years before by the rogues. "I remember you. I am so sorry we could not save you."

"Do not worry, milady," Sydney smiles kindly. "As I said, Lord Belikov saved me."

"How?" Rose asks finally letting her disbelief taint her tone. "How can a beast save you?"

Sydney points to the tub. "Your water will get cold, milady. Lord Belikov commands you to join him in the dining room in an hour." With that, Sydney makes for the door but stops next to Rose by the doorway. "Even though you do not believe it, Lord Belikov is quite good. He did save me. He could have left me with the rogues. He could have left me to turn into one of them, but he did not. He took me from them, and that is a risk he should not have taken. You see, milady, once the rogues bite you, once they take your humanity, you belong to them. You may try to run, you may try to be good, but they will always come for you." Sydney grows quiet. "If you are ever bitten by a rogue, kill yourself. Because unless you have Lord Belikov as your Alpha, at the first chance you taste blood, you will be one of them: the true monsters. You have one hour, milady."

The door clicks shut softly leaving Rose alone with her thoughts and the revelation that everything is far more complicated than she thought. With a sigh, she begins to undress then slowly eases herself into the warm water. She closes her eyes and can almost pretend she is at home. But her raging thoughts won't even let her pretend. According to Sydney, there are two types of werewolves: the rogues and Belikov's. The rogues are terrible creatures, which according to Yeva, coming to get Rose. What could they want with her? Seeing no answer in the water, Rose's head moves onto another thought: the Belikov werewolves. If they aren't so bad, if there's some goodness, some humanity in them, then perhaps Rose should not hate them. Not completely at least. Still that doesn't mean she has to do everything the Alpha wants.

An hour later, Dimitri storms out of the dining room. He had his pack work on this room like dogs, so he could have dinner with Rose and seduce her. But the huntress did not show up. Dimitri sent Mason to fetch her, and he came back with a message from Rose.

"Lady Mazur," Mason paused and fidgeted nervously. "She, uh, she has a message for you, Dimitri."

"Well?" Dimitri snaps impatiently wondering why Rose did not come to deliver the message herself. "What is it?"

"It is not very ladylike. What she said, I mean. She has a foul mouth, Dimitri. Are you sure…"

"Out with it!" Dimitri snapped impatiently.

Mason sighed. "Do not kill the messenger, all right? Lady Mazur said, and I quote "go fuck yourself, you little cunt. I rather die than spend another agonizing second in your presence. Love, Rose, not Roza." The young werewolf cringed as Dimitri grasped the table and turned it over spilling the food all over the granite floor.

Now, Dimitri bangs on Rose's door like the pounding of drums. Rose does not open however; in fact, she smiles as she sits on top of the chest wearing her dirty and ripped clothes from the trip. She meant what she told Mason: she will not be Dimitri's whore. The Alpha grows tired of banging on the door, so he begins to kick and in no time brings it down. Rose gets up and places her hands angrily on her hips.

"How rude!" She snaps faking indignity.

"Rude?" Dimitri narrows his eyes as his nostrils flare with anger. "You want to talk about rude? Rude is denying joining your host for dinner."

"My host? You mean my jailer!" Both Rose and Dimitri take steps towards each other and meet halfway. "You took me from my family. From my fiancé. And I may not know the whys, but I will not make it easy for you to make my life miserable! If you want me, you will have to take me by force."

Dimitri does not say a thing. He remains motionless for a couple of seconds before striking with the speed he is known for. He grips Rose's forearms and flings her into the dirty bed. Rose, taken momentarily by surprise, recovers too late. She begins to kick and flail her arms as if to knock Dimitri off her, but he has her pinned down with his hips against hers; his long, calloused hands restrain her wrists above her head. But Rose doesn't give up; not until she realizes her movements only cause her to rub up against Dimitri's manhood.

"I can take you by force," Dimitri whispers as he skims her neck with the tip of his nose. "Do not forget it. In fact, you would be wise to keep it in mind at all times. I am stronger than you."

"What are you waiting for, then?" Rose replies breathlessly as Dimitri's bulge continues to grow and throb against her. "Do it."

Dimitri stops and slowly raises his head to meet Rose's gaze. "You know what is most unsettling, milady? You want me to. You want me to take you right here and now. I can smell and see your lust." He lowers his eyes briefly to her chest to look at the small beads of sweat already forming in her breasts. He licks his lips just imagining licking her from head to toe. "I can even taste you." He says through his teeth and working double to control himself. "But I told you before, you will beg me to touch and fuck you. Until then…" He brings his mouth down on hers and kisses her fervently. Not even a second passes before Rose responds just as enthusiastically. Their mouths move in sync in a fiery kiss that will leave their lips bruised and sore. Slowly, Dimitri releases his hold on her wrists, which turns into a mistake. Her fist connects with the side of his head causing Dimitri to fall sideways and fight the darkness threatening to take a hold of him.

"And I told you not even in your dreams," Rose's hurried footsteps move towards the door as Dimitri blinks rapidly trying to chase away the dark spots dancing in his vision. "Oh, you should have waited for me to ask you to kiss me. Goodbye, Belikov."

Rose walks hurriedly yet calmly towards the main doors begging, praying even, that no one stops her. But as always, God never seems to listen.

"Where are you going?" Ivan asks as he steps into the castle carrying wood for the fire.

"Out." Rose's voice comes out in a croak, so she clears her throat and crosses her arms trying to look confident. "I need to stretch my legs. I have the permission of your Alpha."

"Is that so?" Ivan raises his eyebrows at her, disbelieving that Dimitri would just let his beauty walk at this time of night with no companion.

"Yes," Rose snaps as the nerves make her far more irritable. "You want him to claw your face off for disobeying, too? Move aside."

Ivan narrows his eyes on her but does not move. The seconds tick by and Rose feels Dimitri getting up from the bed with the raging fury of a thousand bulls. Slowly, Ivan steps aside, letting Rose through. The door is not closed yet when she's already running towards the adjacent stables. Without saddling Sonya, Rose jumps on her horse and kicks the sickly animal hard. The main gates are just mere feet from Rose when she hears the howling of the Alpha.

"Come on, Sonya," Rose urges the horse to cross the gates. "Come on."

A red werewolf appears out of thin air right in front of Rose and Sonya, causing the horse to come to an abrupt stop. The huntress hangs on for dear life and manages to stay on the horse. Mason growls at the horse causing her to take some steps backwards.

"No, no, no. Sonya, forward!"

"Let her go," Dimitri's thick Russian accent comes directly behind Rose. The huntress turns to gape at the Alpha. His entire pack is right behind him. "I am not the monster you think I am." He says with sadness thick in his voice. "I do not wish to be your jailer or tormentor. I will not hold you here. You are free."

With a last glance at Rose, Dimitri turns around and walks back to the castle. The wolves stay where they are. Together, they all begin to howl and whine pitifully. They ask, they beg Rose to stay. Mason brushes his head up against Rose's leg as he whines. Rose is torn between leaving and staying. She did not think she would get this far, and so many things could have gone wrong. For one, Dimitri could have just raped her. Instead, he kissed her and made her feel things she had never felt before. Her entire body was on fire as he pinned her down and his lips were against hers. Second, the wolves could have torn her apart the moment she hit Dimitri. Third, his jailer just became her liberator.

"I am sorry, Mase," Rose closes her eyes and steers Sonya away from Mason. "I do not belong here."

With that, the huntress gallops away into the dark night with the feeling that she just made a terrible mistake. Her fears are confirmed when two hours into the darkness, Rose comes to a stop feeling watched, feeling hunted. Her hand moves to her hip where her sword would be, but there is nothing. She swallows and tries to calm her heart.

"You said you would let me go!" Rose shouts into the darkness. "You are not a man of your word, Belikov."

"_Oh, Little Red,_" the voice echoes in her head. "_It is not Belikov who hunts you tonight. It is not Belikov who will feast on your flesh._" Rose begins to shiver as coldness washes over her at the sound of that inhuman voice inside of her. "_I finally have you, Little Red. How much will Belikov pay for his whore? Let us find out._" Thousands of red eyes appear all around Rose in the midst of the darkness followed by the howling of the hellhounds.

"Fuck," Rose mutters as she thinks desperately for a way out, but seeing none. However, she promises that if tonight is her end, she will go out fighting.

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**Seriously, don't hate me for leaving the chapter like this. I do promise to update ASAP! But what do you think will happen? **


	24. The Beauty

**Hey, guys! This is littlerichellemead's beta, ComradeInLOVE, and I'll be updating the chapter. She is currently without Internet but she has left an AN for you. I personally love this chapter, and hope you enjoy it as well. You rock it, hun.**

**AN: Sorry for keeping y'all waiting so long. This update was meant for a long time ago, but things have happened. Now, I want to give special thanks to my beta, as always, **ComradeInLOVE **for her hard work and for uploading the chapter since I am currently without internet. Give her so much love, guys! Lastly, thank you for all the reviews, favs, and follows! Make sure to check out the beautiful banners by **Little-Angry-Kitten.

**Disclaimer: Any and all similarities to Disney's Beauty and The Beast are purely coincidental, and no infringement is intended.**

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Rose swallows loudly as the threat of the monster echoes inside her head. Sonya neighs fearfully and trots in place waiting for a command, a way out. The huntress looks all around but all she sees is the darkness lit up by the glowing, eerie red eyes. As her mind goes through several unlikely scenarios, many of them involving Adrian showing up with a cavalry, a voice with a faint Russian accent tells her to run. And given the fact that she holds no weapon, Rose settles that running back to Dimitri's domain will keep her alive a little bit longer. Besides, she prefers to die at the claws of Dimitri and his beasts; at least they are the lesser of the two evils.

_"You can run, but you cannot hide, Little Red," _the voice chuckles maniacally inside Rose's head as she turns Sonya around and kicks the horse on her sides. _"You are mine. I will rip you limb by limb painfully slow, and I will make Belikov watch. I can already taste his despair as well as yours. " _Isaiah sneers sending shivers down Rose's spine.

With her hair whipping her face painfully and the deep darkness of the night, Rose can't see much ahead or around her. Still, she turns everywhere and tries to keep her eyes peeled as Sonya gallops as fast as she can. All around her, the huntress can hear the hungry growls, the heavy breathing, and the paws of the mad beasts as they chase after her. They could catch her in a matter of seconds, but Rose knows exactly what they are doing: prolonging the hunt. Knowing tonight could be her last night alive, Rose can feel the fear pumping her heart twice as fast, and the beasts enjoy the smell of her fear. However, the rogues soon grow impatient and begin to shove and trample each other in their desperate attempt at getting the first bite.

But Rose and Sonya are not about to go down easily. Despite the panting of the horse, the huntress kicks Sonya's sides again urging the horse to get back to safety, back to Dimitri. One of the rogues jumps straight into Sonya's path. Rose can't help the gasp that escapes her lips as she gazes at the monstrosity ahead. Even in the darkness, she can see how different the rogues have become since the last time she ran into them more than six months ago. No, the rogue looks extremely familiar; the whole situation suddenly becomes familiar, like déjà vu. Then, the nightmare she had weeks ago comes back. _Rose had been in a similar situation; she had been running through dark woods as a demon straight from hell chased her. And then the monster had come into view, and she could see that it looked exactly like the thing in front of her now does. _

_"They are coming. Protect him. Protect yourself." _Yeva had warned. All of Yeva's predictions seem to be coming true. _You will love him passionately. You will die for him_. Could that be…

As she is deep in thought, Rose doesn't see the rogue coming at her from her left. It jumps at her knocking her off Sonya. Both, Rose and the rogue, fall to the ground and roll. The thing ends up on top of her; its thick and gooey saliva falling all over her face. The huntress lies frozen seeing her entire life flash before her eyes and praying to God to just once cut her some slack and make her death fast and painless. The rogue falls sideways whimpering as Sonya hits the back of its head with her hoofs. Without hesitation, Rose gets back on her feet and searches for something to defend herself with. Nearby, she sees a thick and sturdy fallen branch. While the branch won't last forever, it will be something. Besides, this isn't the time for Rose to become picky. As she takes a step toward the branch, another rogue jumps in front of Rose. She staggers back in shock at the towering beast standing on its hind legs.

The rogue curls its lip back and growls as Rose crawls backwards unable to take her eyes off its red ones. Sonya neighs defiantly as she kicks the rogue with her hind hoofs. As Sonya fights off the rogues slowly descending, Rose makes for the branch.

"_Kill the horse,_" Isaiah commands Elena with impatience.

Just as Rose grips the branch and tries to lift it, the painful and pitiful neighing of Sonya causes the huntress to stop and turn around just in time to see Sonya falling to her knees as out of a deep gash on the horse's neck spurts blood. Elena stands nearby with blood dripping from its right claw. For a second Rose freezes in shock and despair then an incoherent scream of anger rips out of her vocal chords as she watches her horse kick and whimper for the last time. With fire coursing through her veins, Rose picks up the branch and with strength that she didn't know she possessed, she swings it just as another rogue launches itself at her. With a battle cry, Rose smashes the rogue's head until there's nothing left of it. The huntress ignores the blood on her face as she growls and begins to step towards Elena.

_"Little Red has fire," _Isaiah chuckles distracting Rose from her quest of vengeance, if only for a second. _"I can see why Belikov chose you._"

"What are you talking about?" The huntress says through her teeth.

"_Oh, you do not know? Belikov claims you are the beauty who will set him free." _Isaiah pauses. His angry growl is heard somewhere in the dark. "_You are who will set us all free._"

"Set you free? From what or whom?" Rose hasn't forgotten what they have done to Sonya, or Janine, or any other human. But if the rogue is willing to give answers, she will take them.

"_You really do not know. You, Lady Mazur, are the beauty that will free the beast from the curse. But you see, if you kill Belikov, you free all werewolves as well._" Isaiah says not knowing that Yeva has changed the curse. He pauses for effect and enjoys the gasp that escapes Rose's lips at the revelation. _"I do not wish to be free, Little Red. I do enjoy the power, so I am sorry, well, I am not so sorry to say that tonight your nightmares begin. I will drag out your pain…_"

"Shut up and come get me." Rose says through her teeth cutting off Isaiah's rant as she grips the branch tightly in her hands turning her knuckles a ghostly white and splinters bury into her flesh.

Isaiah narrows his eyes. He does not like to be interrupted, but if she wishes to step into the hell he has prepared, then so be it. "_Bring her to me. Alive._" Isaiah commands Elena, who still stands near Sonya's limp body. "_I want to be the one to take the life of his beauty._"

Elena raises her head and howls in response to Isaiah's command. Soon, the unified, bone chilling howling of a thousand rogues rips through the night. Rose takes one last look at Sonya lying on a pool of blood. The huntress' eyes fill with angry tears as she stands up straighter preparing to die fighting. The hellhounds don't waste more time and descend upon Rose one after another. Surprisingly enough, Rose's weapon holds up. She swings and hits her targets with a speed and strength the rogues didn't expect. Some of them fall dead with broken faces or smashed skulls. Others limp away to lick their wounds in the darkness. But Rose does not see any of that; she doesn't feel the thick, dark blood of the beasts drenching her ripped clothes and face. All she feels and sees is the red, hot fury that keeps her on her toes.

Several of the rogues try to no avail to rip a leg or arm off. One of them does manage to scratch her left shoulder before kissing Rose's weapon. When the exhaustion suddenly begins to fall heavily on Rose, all she has to do is briefly glance at Sonya, bloodied, limp, dead like Rose's mother, like so many loved ones. The energy and strength return to her like a shock and the huntress fights fervently smashing a rogue's face that decided to go for her left arm. Elena circles the huntress seeking and waiting for an opening, but the huntress seems to be everywhere at once. Soon, one of the rogues manages to grip the branch with its teeth. Everything happens in a matter of seconds. Elena pounces toward Rose as she engages in a battle of tug with the rogue. The branch snaps and Rose falls backwards just as Elena's hind legs hit the ground inches away from Rose's head. But before Elena lowers her mouth to bite the huntress' face off, a heavy opponent falls on top of the rogue and without a second of hesitation, begins to shred Elena's back. Elena yelps in pain as her spine is torn from her, and the one called Elena is no more. The dark woods fill with silence as the rogues assess the situation.

The thunderous and wrathful roar of the Alpha makes the rogues cower in fear as the anger of their original leader falls heavily upon them. Dimitri stands over the bloodied remains of Elena. His claws, teeth and fur drip the blood of the bitch that could have killed Rose had he not arrived in time. The roar continues to echo even after Dimitri stops and his eyes, which could set fire to Russia with the anger in them, find Rose. She is on her fours looking up at Dimitri; her hair is wild, face covered in blood, and a broken branch near her hands. Their eyes meet and a thousand messages pass between them. The Alpha quickly looks away; he decides he will deal with the aftermath once the rogues are away from Rose. Dimitri doesn't even dwell on the fact that the rogues have changed completely. Of course, it's no surprise to him; he figured after spending so much time as beasts, they would lose their humanity and as such reflect their heart's hideousness. Once again, he pushes those thoughts out of his head. His eyes, gone soft upon gazing on Rose, harden once again, and his muscles tense for the coming battle.

"_You made it to the feast, Belikov,_" Isaiah tries to hold back his anger at the way his mutts still respond to him. _Soon, his time will come, _he reminds himself. "_You still have time to change your mind. Kill the bitch and keep our strength, our immortality, our power. We can take over; subject the humans to be nothing more than food, slaves. Can you not see it, Belikov? You can be ruler. You can have as many whores as you want. Do not settle for this one._"

"_Call her a bitch or a whore once more, and I will rip your tongue out._" Dimitri replies using the pack's way of communication with Isaiah.

"_You love her?" _Isaiah laughs maniacally and steps into view. He is by far uglier than all the rogues. His black fur is falling off and his body seems to be caught between human and wolf as his arms are the arms of a well-muscled man, but his head is that of a wolf with small snout. And his height is taller than that of Dimitri in his human form. "_You do. Whatever happened to your vow to never love any woman? Is the whore that good in bed? I might just have her before ripping her apart. Slowly."_

Dimitri roars again. The roar is filled with more hatred and anger that Rose trembles in fear and covers her ears at the sound. She has never seen Dimitri so upset. "_You touch a single hair, just one hair in her body, Isaiah, and I will tear you apart, and I swear I will not be quick about it!_" His accent becomes more accentuated as he practically shouts in Isaiah's mind.

"_You are a fool,_" Isaiah ignores the threat completely. He didn't intend to take Rose tonight; he didn't even intend to hurt her, yet. All he wants is to confirm his suspicions: she is the beauty. Dimitri just confirmed it by the way he ran to save her, and the way he defends her from Isaiah's mouthy comments. Isaiah's rise to power has just become easier. _"You fell for her, and you do not even know it yet. But you are a bigger fool for coming running to save your _bitch," Isaiah drags the word out, "_alone. I want her dead, but not as much as I want you gone." _As Isaiah continues to talk, the new recruit moves stealthily toward Dimitri. This was the plan: drag Dimitri away from his pack to kill him. "_With you gone, your pack will fall apart. They will search for an Alpha, someone stronger than you ever were. Me. They will come to me, and I will rule them all. Even your _whore _will come to me. She will bow down and beg me to fuck her…"_

Several things happen at the same time, Dimitri pounces toward Isaiah while the new recruit jumps out of the darkness at Dimitri, and another werewolf jumps before the recruit sinks its teeth into Dimitri's neck. The grey werewolf whimpers as the rogue's teeth sink into her belly deepening the gash that has not healed as Dimitri and Isaiah tumble on the ground fighting. That's when the rogues realize Dimitri didn't come alone. He was just the first one to arrive. Dimitri's pack howls unified as they jump on the rogues slashing and biting heads off. Rose, after staring in shock at the grey wolf struggling to get the rogue off, snaps out of it and with her broken branch swings at the rogue's back. The rogue yelps in surprise and moves out of the way.

"Alberta," Rose whispers kneeling next to the bleeding wolf. "Hold on." The huntress turns to desperately search for something to stop the profuse bleeding. Just as she is about to remove the remaining skirt of her dress, the rogue commanded to kill Dimitri jumps on her and growls in her face as his claws dig into her shoulders.

As huntress and rogue look at each other, Rose sees something in his eyes that knocks the air out of her lungs and makes her head spin. His eyes aren't red yet; they are a gentle hazel. The stinging pain in her shoulders soon fades as recognition dawns on her.

"Eddie…" Rose whispers as a tear leaks out of her left eye. "Eddie. Oh God, no."

Eddie, still on top of her, loosens his grip on Rose's shoulders, but he doesn't let go. He has orders, orders he cannot ignore. _Kill Dimitri Belikov. Kill Rosemarie Mazur. Kill Janine Hathaway. _Isaiah commanded Eddie in that order. Slowly, Eddie moves away from Rose, then his eyes search for Dimitri. The Alpha is fighting Isaiah as all around them werewolves slaughter each other. Dimitri manages to scratch Isaiah's face leaving a deep gash similar to Mason's, except Mason's wasn't meant to kill but this one is. In turn, Isaiah grips Dimitri's body intending to break his bones. Dimitri thrashes trying to shake Isaiah off. As he struggles, Isaiah adds pressure, and Eddie sees the opening. He races towards Dimitri with the final destination of his neck in mind.

"Eddie!" Rose shouts. "Please! Stop." She begs as she kneels by Alberta's side with her skirt pressed to the grey wolf's belly. "Eddie, I know you are in there. Do not do this." Her eyes dart worriedly between Eddie, frozen in place as he listens to Rose's pleas, with his back to her facing Dimitri still trying to get out of Isaiah's hold. Something red flashes in Rose's right peripheral vision, and she struggles not to turn and draw Eddie's attention to Mason rushing to help Dimitri. "We are friends, remember? I love you, Eddie, and you love me. You are like the brother I never had." The tears and sobs come freely as Eddie turns around and moves towards Rose. "Please… Do not let him control you. He does not own you." She says with passion as Eddie looks into her eyes. Slowly, Eddie lowers his head as if asking Rose to touch him.

Her hand slowly moves towards him, but she never manages to touch him because Isaiah roars painfully just then causing Eddie to whimper. The rogues slowly fall back then turn tail and run into the darkness. Eddie hesitates for a while as Rose pleas him with her eyes to stay, but he can't shake Isaiah's words off: _I own you, or I kill what you love most. _So Eddie turns around and follows his own pack leaving Rose behind with her own. Alberta whimpers just then pushing all other thoughts in Rose's mind away. The huntress turns her full attention on the dying woman in front of her. All around Rose, she can hear the breaking of bones and the growling of the werewolves as they shift back to human.

"Arthur," Dimitri pants out. "Run the perimeter. Make sure none of them linger, and if they do, kill them." His bare feet crush the gravel and dirt as he moves toward Rose and Alberta. "You are going to be all right." Dimitri says patting the grey werewolf's head gently. "Pull the strength from me. Go ahead."

Alberta whimpers in response and meets Dimitri's eyes. "_No. You need all your strength for when they come back._" She says in his mind.

"I will be," Dimitri says through his teeth out loud. "I am your Alpha, Alberta. I command you to take strength from me to heal!"

"_I am your aunt. I do not take commands from spoiled children," _the amusement is faint in her voice as well as the beating of her heart. "_Dimka, take care of her. Do not let her go. Forget the curse, forget what Babushka said. You and she are meant to be._"

Dimitri looks up at Rose, who still holds her soaked skirt to Alberta's belly. Their eyes meet before both look down at the same time. "You will get well soon. You will heal; it is just taking some time."

"_The curse is weak, and so are we. I am fine. I will see Olena and the girls soon. Take care, Dimka._" Her breathing becomes shallow as her eyes move away from Dimitri and toward Rose. "_Do not let him push you around, and take care of each other. It was a pleasure to meet the beauty._" Her heart slows down to the batting wings of a butterfly until there's no sound.

"Alberta said…" Mason tells Rose as his eyes fill with tears to lose the woman who was their mother figure for more than two centuries.

"I know what she said," Rose replies as her own tears fall freely. "I heard her." With one last look at Alberta then at Sonya, the huntress gets to her feet and begins to walk back towards the Belikov domain.

Dimitri kneels for a little longer simply gazing down at his dead aunt. The tears don't come, but he feels the dam threatening to break any second. Instead, he picks up her body and also makes his way back to the castle. He glances back at the dead horse and commands Mason and Ivan to carry the body. The rest of the pack, in wolf form, howls mourning the loss of a pack member. As Rose walks, she lets the silent tears fall. Dimitri and the rest of the pack follow her closely. They will not give the rogues another opportunity to hurt her. She shoves the door to the castle open, and Sydney as well as other rush forward. They ignore Rose, and Rose ignores them. She walks automatically toward the stairs and sits down burying her face in her hands.

"Are you hurt, milord?" Sydney rushes forward with grief and worry stitched to her beautiful face.

"No," Dimitri replies simply and thrusts Alberta's body into her arms. "Prepare everything for the burial. Bring hot water and clean clothes to the dining room." With that, he steps around Sydney and walks toward Rose. He extends his hand out to her, and after a second of hesitation, she takes it. He leads her to the dining room where the roaring fire warms the empty place, but the warmth seems not to have any effect in either Dimitri or Rose.

The events of the night and the casualties have left a coldness that will not go away even if they are set on fire. Rose begins to step closer to the fire in the hope it will warm her, but Dimitri pulls her back. He grabs her face gently as if she is made of the most breakable and precious material. His eyes roam over her searching for deep, fatal wounds. There are several scratches to her flesh, none of them deep, except for those on her shoulders left by Eddie.

"Are you hurt?" He asks still needing to hear from her that despite it all, she is well.

"No," she whispers just as softly as he does. Her hands rest on his broad shoulders as her eyes also scan his body for deadly wounds. This time she doesn't even blush as her eyes rest upon his much endowed cock. Her eyes don't linger there too long as she still has to make sure he is not deadly wounded. With Alberta practically dying in their arms, they didn't have the opportunity to make sure the other is well. "Are you?" She needs to hear it from him, too.

"No," he replies just as simply. "I was terrified…" He blurts out, and the confession takes him and Rose by surprise. He never thought he would admit to her just how much he cares. "I was terrified." He repeats resting his forehead against hers. "I thought I would not arrive on time."

"I am sorry," Rose steps closer into his embrace taking the warmth of his body that the fire couldn't provide. "I should have run. If I had stayed here, Alberta and Sonya would be alive. I am so stupid! This is my fault…" She hides her shame and tears as she rests her forehead on his naked chest.

"Shh," Dimitri kisses her head and buries his hands in the mess of her blood stained hair. "Not your fault. I should have never let you go. I will never let you go again. Not with Isaiah still around. I promise you, Roza. I will kill them all for you." He says through his teeth, his body tensing with anger, but his hands rub her back gently as she cries. "I will make them pay for your loved ones, for Alberta, and all the lives they have taken."

Rose, unwillingly, steps out of his embrace to get a better look at his face. In his eyes, she can see an emotion she doesn't believe is there yet. He cares about her, that much is clear; but does he love her? She recalls Isaiah's words as they continue to look at each other. _You fell for her, and you do not even know it yet. _But then the monster also said Dimitri had sworn to never love again. Why take the words of a creature hell bent on killing her and him? Better yet, why does the beast want her dead? It's time to get answers. Alberta told her not to let Dimitri push her around, and Rose will honor her last wishes.

"What did the monster mean when he said you swore to never love again?" She asks quietly never taking her eyes off his. Suddenly, his soft features go hard and unreadable like the mask he's used to putting on whenever Rose asks something personal. But she has come to read his eyes like an open book. As hard as Dimitri might to hide his feelings, Rose recognizes that heavy sadness she has seen in him since they met and she just saw as they arrived in Baia. Something happened in his past that has marked him. Something that brought his curse upon him, upon them all.

"How did you hear what Isaiah said?" Dimitri answers with a question of his own. The communication in their minds is how the pack functions. It's already surprising enough that Isaiah seems to have developed the gift enough to even speak to those outside the pack.

"Will you tell me or not?" Rose narrows her eyes.

Dimitri looks away and sighs. A knock on the door puts their conversation on hold. Sydney steps inside carrying two buckets of warm water. Behind her is Mason carrying clothes for both Rose and Dimitri. Rose steps forward and throws her arms around Mason, taking all of them by surprise.

"Thank you for saving him," she whispers in his ear unsure why she's thanking Mason for saving his Alpha. "And thank you for coming for me."

Mason glances nervously at Dimitri as Rose still has her arms around his neck, but the Alpha seems not to mind as he begins to wipe the blood and scratches with a cloth and warm water. "You are part of the pack, Rose." Mason says as he looks down at her bare legs. "Yup, part of the pack. You are even starting to go nude like us. Liberating, is it not?" Rose merely rolls her eyes.

"Mason," Dimitri warns cautiously. "Is everything ready for the burial?"

"No," the redhead replies turning solemn. "Come on, Syd."

"Will you or the lady need anything else?" Sydney asks as she begins to follow Mason out.

"No. Thank you, Sydney." Dimitri replies dismissing her. The door to the dining room clicks shut, and Rose crosses her arms quickly getting back to business.

"Tell me," she demands. She's done asking for anything. "Tell me your story from the beginning."

"That, milady, is a story for another night." He replies without even looking up from his task of cleaning the gashes Isaiah left on his arms and chest.

Rose narrows her eyes and kneels by his chair digging her nails into his right forearm leaving small crescent moons upon his already bruised flesh. But she doesn't care at the moment. She will get her answers.

"A story for another time?" The rage and disbelief are audible in her voice as well as visible in her eyes. "You mean for the next time the beasts come for me? For you? Next time when someone else dies…" She pauses as a sob threatens to escape her lips; she swallows. "For next time when either you or me do something that endangers us all? Tonight is your fault too, Dimitri. If you would just fucking tell me everything…" She pauses taking a calming breath and closing her eyes. "I can help you… apparently you need me… just tell me what the fuck is going on?" She ends with a pleading whisper and letting go of his arm.

Dimitri sighs and looks away from her. She had him mesmerized with the fire and passion in her eyes. Despite looking like a child raised by wolves at the moment, Rose will always hold a beauty that never ceases to make Dimitri catch his breath, blink several times, and wonder if she is real. _Forget the curse. You and she are meant to be._ Again, he sighs but this time defeated. Rose is right. If only he would tell her part of what started this, then maybe things like losing Alberta wouldn't be happening. If she truly wants to help him, together they will find a way to break the curse without Rose dying for him, because he can't ask her to die. He has finally realized that he doesn't want her to. _She will hate me. She will not help once I tell her._

"Comrade," the use of her old nickname for him snaps him out of his misery thoughts. "Once you asked me to run away with you, to help you. I was going to say yes." She lowers her eyes and takes the cloth from his hand and begins to clean his wounds and dry blood. Her hands upon his flesh send shivers down his spine, and she loves the warmth his skin radiates. "I wanted to help." She looks up at him as he breathes heavily at her confession. His heart beating thrice as hard. "I still do. I see who the real monsters are now. You did not kill my mother; they did. And if you know something, anything that will get rid of them…"

"I murdered my father when I was sixteen." Dimitri begins without taking his eyes off her, measuring her reaction. Her eyes go wide and her mouth falls open slightly. That is not how Rose expected the story to begin, and she has the feeling that it is just getting started and about to get worse.


	25. The Beast

**Hi, everybody! It's me, ComradeInLOVE, again. I'm updating for Monse once more :) You will LOVE this, isn't she absolutely amazing? And we're SO close! She has left another AN for you. I am also letting you know that she will not be able to write for a while, work is hectic and she's tired and stressed. We are not sure how long she will take, however we hope it doesn't take more than a month. Let's give her a break so she can relax and write again even more amazingly than now (if that's even possible xD). **

**AN: Ok, seriously guys. Don't you love my beta, **ComradeInLOVE**? Without her, you would not be getting these updates for a month! Give her some love guys! Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows! :)**

* * *

Dimitri holds his breath waiting for Rose to scream at him that he is a murderer, a beast. But she simply stares back with her lips parted and wide eyes. He is not sure whether he should be relieved or afraid of her reaction, or lack thereof. On her part, Rose attempts to come up with the best way to handle the starting line to what is sure to be a long and shocking story. She does promise herself she will not judge him ahead of time. That is a mistake she will not make again. Dimitri has proven to her there's more than meets the eye. For five years, she has hated the wrong creature. The rogues are the ones that must be eliminated and quickly, before they enslave the human race. The huntress lets out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding and clears her throat. Calmly, she douses the cloth into the warm water and continues to clean Dimitri's wounds.

"Why?" She asks softly dabbing a scratch on his chest.

Her hands caressing him send shivers down Dimitri's spine and causes goosebumps on his flesh. He's not the only one affected by the contact as Rose feels the attraction too. She bites her lower lip just imagining her lips kissing every crevice on his stomach while the sight of her lip caught between her teeth causes Dimitri's cock to twitch thinking of biting her lips himself. They seem to forget the importance of the moment as the lust and desire return smothering them, bringing more heat than a thousand roaring fires ever could. Their breathing becomes shallow and unconsciously they lean forward. Dimitri pulls her to her feet, then roughly drags her down to sit on his lap as she blushes deeply feeling his hard bulge against her leg. His left arm circles her waist as his right hand skims her jaw line. Rose sighs and closes her eyes leaning into his touch as her hands explore his broad shoulders and back. With his hand resting on her nape, Dimitri begins to slowly pull her toward him.

"Why?" Rose pants as their lips are a breath away from meeting. She doesn't want him to kiss her, yet. They must talk; if they don't now that he's willing, who knows when the next opportunity may be? Perhaps next time it will be too late.

Dimitri sighs as he is forced to return to the conversation ahead of them. Needing something to keep him from completely losing himself in the past, Dimitri wraps both of his hands around Rose's waist and rests his forehead on her chest. Before continuing, he inhales deeply committing her scent to memory. He remains silent for a few seconds breathing evenly with his forehead still against her chest. Slowly, Rose raises her left hand up to his head and buries it in his hair. Since they met five years ago, she has yearned to know what his hair feels like. She always imagined it to be finer than silk, and as she buries her hand in it, silk wouldn't even begin to describe his hair. _No words can describe him, _Rose thinks suddenly. Then Dimitri continues his story pushing all thoughts to the back of her head.

"My father, Lord Luka Belikov, was a great man," though the bitterness in Dimitri's voice makes Rose doubt that he was. "Loved by all and hated by none. He never let his subjects starve, gave every single man, woman, and child a home. He was kind and just to all."

Dimitri pauses in his story telling as the hatred begins to course through his body. Rose notices the sudden tension and stops running her fingers through his hair to grasp his face in both of her hands. She lifts his head up, so she can see his eyes and read his emotions. Hatred, disappointment, and sadness swirl in his eyes. She frowns as she tries to imagine what could cause Dimitri to feel such emotions and drive him to murder a man that sounds just like Eric Dragomir, a man loved by all.

Dimitri chuckles humorlessly and looks away from Rose. His eyes wander the room and settle on the fire. "You are wondering how I could kill such a wonderful man." He practically spits the words out. "The face everyone saw was just a mask. Not my mother, not my sisters, not even I saw him for what he truly was. My father had a secret mistress for who knows how long, Lady Ekaterina Zeklos, Ivan's mother. No, I didn't murder him because he was cheating on my mother. I may have forgiven him for that, but I will never forgive him for what he almost did." He turns his eyes back on Rose. "He plotted to murder my mother." Moisture begins to form in his eyes, but he quickly blinks it away.

_Dimitri was making his way to the dining room before dinner was ready. He wanted to speak to his father about the working conditions of the men in the outer fields. The food always arrived late and cold or sometimes never. Dimitri thought it would be a good idea to set up houses out there, so the workers could move with their families and not wait until the end of the day to finally eat a piece of stale bread. The door to the dining room was shut meaning they had a guest. Dimitri paused with his fist in the air as he heard Lady Ekaterina's voice. At first, her presence didn't arouse suspicion in the young man. The Zeklos visited often, so young Dimitri began to turn around to leave his father to tend to his guest. They could speak about the project during dinner. _

_"It must be done," Ekaterina's voice low and fervent caught Dimitri's attention. "You think she does not suspect of us? Once again she will tear us apart. Will you let her do that to us a second time?"_

_Dimitri held his breath as he heard his father's next words. "No, my love. Never again will Olena keep us apart. I shall do it. I will slowly poison her so no one suspects. Rest easy, Katya." _

_With his mind reeling from the betrayal and knowledge that Luka, the man Dimitri held high on a pedestal, would do something so disgusting, so vile as to plot the death of his wife, the woman who gave him her best years and four beautiful children, Dimitri contemplated confronting his father and Ekaterina then, but he held the hope that perhaps his father was just misleading Ekaterina. Because his father surely would not be capable of killing his own wife! The woman he swore to love and cherish as long as they both shall live. But as they all sat down to dinner, Dimitri could finally see the glances and small touches between Luka and Ekaterina. Those gestures that no one ever paid attention to, Dimitri could tell meant so much more to them. _

_"I am going to visit Mother this weekend," Olena announced cheerfully and clearly oblivious to the fact that Luka was eyeing Ekaterina like she was the most exquisite creature he had ever seen. The whole situation made Dimitri's blood boil as he gripped his fork tightly. "Will you join me, dear?" _

_"My apologies, love," Luka said with fake remorse in his voice. "I must remain here and make sure no one starves or freezes to death." _

_"Oh, well. I shall take the girls then." Olena replied always innocent, always understanding. _

_"I can tend to the people," Dimitri said for the first time since they had sat down. "Father." He added through his teeth. _

_Luka frowned slightly at Dimitri's stiff posture and untouched plate. He never suspected his son had experienced his exchange with Ekaterina. "Very kind of you, son; however, it is my duty to…"_

_"I will inherit the Belikov domain, will I not?" Dimitri interrupted directing his question to his father but watching Ekaterina with narrowed eyes. _

_"Yes," Luka replied blinking rapidly, surprised for the sudden question. "You are my heir."_

_"Then it would be good for me to start getting experience on handling matters on my own. Go on with mother and visit Babushka." _

_Dimitri hoped his father wouldn't take the offer. He wanted to keep Luka away from Olena in case he did attempt to kill her. What Dimitri tried to do that night was put his father in a tight position. He wanted Olena to see through Luka's pretense, to see how jealous Ekaterina became just thinking of Luka and Olena together. But Dimitri's mother never saw any of that. She ended the conversation saying Luka had to stay and tend to the people. Dimitri remained silent the rest of the night, and when he finally let go of the fork, his fingers were stiff. _

_"May I have a word with you, Lady Ekaterina?" Dimitri gave her a tight smile and a low bow. "I would like to talk to you about Ivan and his next birthday."_

_"Ivan's birthday is not until next winter, dear." Ekaterina chuckled waving her hand in the air dismissing Dimitri and lacing her hand through Luka's arm. _

_"I will not take much of your time," Dimitri's jaw twitched as his eyes narrowed on her hand. _

_Ekaterina met Luka's eyes briefly. She sighed and let go of Luka. "All right, dear."_

_Dimitri led Ekaterina out into the back gardens; their feet crushing the ice and their mouths puffing out small balls of fog. They walked in silence, Ekaterina's hand laced through Dimitri's strong arm. _

_"What did you want to talk about, dear?" Ekaterina asked impatiently wishing to go back inside and warm up, perhaps have a round with Luka before heading back to the Zeklos and her fat, old husband. _

_"Shh," Dimitri placed his finger upon his mouth. "Just a little farther. I do not want anyone to hear us." _

_Ekaterina frowned and began to feel nervous at the way Dimitri's jaw twitched and how he suddenly began to tighten his hold on her hand. When she suddenly realized what was wrong, it was too late. They had rounded the corner and were near the stables far from hearing and seeing range from anyone. Brutally, Dimitri shoved Ekaterina against a beam, startling the nearby horse and causing Ekaterina to see blurry and gasp at the pain on her neck. He placed his right elbow on her throat and slowly, began to cut Ekaterina's air. _

_"I know of your affair with my father," Dimitri began quietly. "I also know of your plans to get rid of my mother. What do you gain from her death, Ekaterina? You will be still married to Lord Gregor. Or are you also planning on murdering him? Enlighten me, _Katya_." He spat out his father's nickname for her before letting her go._

_Ekaterina slumped on the ground coughing violently and aching everywhere. "I do… not know… what you…" She gasped but didn't finish as Dimitri grabbed her arm and shook her violently. _

_"Do not dare lie to me!" He growled. "I heard you and my _father _speaking earlier tonight. Will you deny it again?" _

_Ekaterina's eyes flashed with hatred and anger. She shoved Dimitri away and finally dropped the pretense. "_I _was meant to be Lady Belikova. Not your whore of a mother that went and got herself pregnant, so she could trap your father. I am not meant for a fat pig like Gregor. My son should and will have not only one but two castles. Once Gregor and Olena are out of the way, you and your bratty sisters are next. Ivan will have the Belikov and Zeklos domains to himself." Her lips parted in a wicked smile as her eyes flashed with greed and madness._

_Dimitri's hands shook at his sides as he gazed at the woman he once recognized as a second mother. Once again, he pinned her to the beam with his elbow on her throat. "First, do not call my mother a whore! The only whore here is you. Tell me, what will Gregor Zeklos do once he hears you have been fucking Luka Belikov? His best friend since childhood. He will gut you or worst, leave you poor because he may be a fat pig, but he has the money."_

_"You… did not hear… me?" Ekaterina gasped out as her lungs screamed for air. "I am… going to… kill you… all!" _

_"That is, if I do not kill you first." Dimitri removed his elbow and instead grasped her neck with both hands then proceeded to slam her head against the beam. "Which I will not, yet." He whispered in her ear. "You will leave this castle without saying a word to my father. If he seeks you out, you will end the affair with him. You will live the rest of your miserable days with your husband as a flawless and loving wife to Gregor." Ekaterina began to protest, but Dimitri silenced her with another slam against the beam. "If you do not do so, I will inform Ivan and Gregor of everything; they will despise you, and then I will kill you. I will rip out your heart and feed it to the dogs. Understood?" _

_He slammed her head against the beam for the last time to emphasize his words. He then let her go. They waited several minutes for Ekaterina to recuperate and look as if nothing had happened in case they ran into anyone. Dimitri made sure to see that she followed his instructions, which she did. As the Zeklos carriage disappeared in the distance, Dimitri thought that was the end of that. He was wrong and knew so when Luka had a secret meeting with the apothecary the night previous to the return of Olena. The only reason Dimitri knew so was because he was roaming the castle, for he could not sleep. He could not reconcile with the knowledge that his father was not the man he admired and loved._

_Hushed voices pulled Dimitri out of his deep thoughts, and he quickly dashed behind a thick red curtain by the main stairwell. Luka and the apothecary came into view, their features barely lit up by the torches along the hall. _

_"Two drops dissolved in water over a period of a week shall do the trick, milord. If taken more than the week, can have fatal results." The apothecary said quietly as Luka nodded and accompanied him to the door. _

_"I understand," Luka gave the old man a gold coin and opened the door for him. "Thank you for coming so late. I do not wish to worry my people and son with my condition. Are you sure it is tasteless? I do not enjoy the bitter taste of medicine." He chuckled softly. _

_"Absolutely, milord. It is also colorless. You will not even know you are drinking it." The apothecary replied helpfully, probably completely unaware of the devilish smile on Luka's face. Dimitri saw it though, and his body shook with wrath. His father was still going through with the plan even after Ekaterina ended the affair. She had sent a message to Dimitri to announce it had been done. Luka had to be stopped, that's all Dimitri knew as he returned to his chambers and pulled out the dagger he meant to gift to his father for his birthday in the spring. _

_Dimitri waited until the castle was asleep. Dimitri moved like a shadow through the castle. No one heard him, no one saw him. Only his father, but only for a second before Luka's own son buried the blade deep in his heart ending his life. _

Absent-mindedly, Dimitri rubs his left cheek suddenly feeling the blood of his father there. Once his tale is finished, both Rose and Dimitri are silent each deep in their own thoughts. Dimitri looks down at his hands still wrapped around Rose and can practically see his bloodstained hands shaking in shock very much like the night he murdered his father. Rose takes his hands in hers and kisses them as a tear rolls down her cheek.

"Why are you weeping?" Dimitri frowns when he feels her tears soaking their interlaced hands.

"I weep for you," she whispers and closes her eyes trying to make sense of her thoughts. "You were forced to…"

"No one forced me," he continues to frown. "I made the choice."

"No, you did not. He would have not stopped! You saved your mother at the cost of your soul! Look at you! Your father and his mistress forced your hand and turned you into a beast. You said you lost control of your life afterwards. Drinking, whoring around, being cruel, and then your curse. It all started with that night. I understand, Comrade. You think you lost the goodness, the humanity in you when you killed your father."

Dimitri's eyes widen in surprise as Rose understands him better than anyone else. Rhonda and Yeva claim to know the truth behind the murder of Luka, but they never showed any sort of compassion or understanding like Rose does now. How is it that his own family doomed and rejected him when Rose, the huntress that has hated him for years, understands and accepts his reasons?

"But you did not," she continues kissing his hands again. "If you were not good, you would not have given everything up for your mother. Sure, the way you treated them afterwards was not…" She pauses and frowns as she stares at the wall behind Dimitri. "'Whatever happened to your vow to never love any woman?'" Rose quotes Isaiah as she returns her eyes to Dimitri's, suddenly piecing another piece of the puzzle. "Your vow did not only apply to women. It also applied to your family, to everyone who wants to be close to you. You have been protecting yourself from another betrayal. You think everyone who loves you will hurt you. All the women you made yours were only to assert your dominance over them. To prove to yourself that they did and do not rule you." She frowns again then snorts. "That is a shit way of thinking, Comrade. Not everyone is going to hurt you. Not all women are whores like Ekaterina. Well, Natasha Ozera is a bitch. Once she is done with a man, she will rip his heart out, but…"

Dimitri silences her rant with a searing kiss. Never has he been more attracted to a woman before. He takes her bottom lip between his teeth like he wanted to earlier and bites hard causing Rose to moan at the delicious pain. She grips his shoulders digging her nails as she responds with a bite to his upper lip. Dimitri growls deep in his throat and lets his hands slowly move up her legs, to her stomach, and linger on her breasts. He is thankful her chemise is practically torn to pieces giving him freedom to pinch her taut nipples. Rose gasps in surprise and delight giving Dimitri the opportunity to dart his tongue into her mouth as his hands continue to play with her breasts pinching and massaging her tender nipples. With one last moan, Rose jumps out of his embrace breathing heavily and blushing deeply from feeling his cock hard and ready against her and from the passionate kiss. She moves to the farthest wall and closes her eyes.

"You said you would wait for me to ask you to kiss me," she whispers not trusting her voice to speak louder.

"I know," Dimitri says appearing behind her and rubbing her arms. "And I remember the last time I kissed you without your permission." He chuckles briefly remembering the punch to his head. "But I cannot control myself." He turns her around and places his hands on each side of her face. "Where have you been all my life, Roza?"

"Hunting you," she replies placing her hands over his. "And I believe you have been hunting me. What is this about a beauty? You think I am a beauty?"

"You are too beautiful to be real," he replies smothering her with an emotion she does not want him to feel for her. "When I met you, I thought there was no way you could be any more beautiful. I was wrong. Back then you were a rose just beginning to bloom and now look at you."

"You did not answer my question," she persists trying not to dwell on the way his words make her heart race and her stomach to do little flips. "What is this about a beauty?"

Dimitri sighs and lets go of Rose. He turns his back on her and picks up the clean clothes from the floor and begins to dress. "It is part of the curse. The beauty had to kill the beast to end the curse."

"You have to die?" Rose's voice wavers and her knees feel weak. She had known it all along. Since the moment he showed up at Istanbul, she could guess what he wanted, why he was so eager for her to kill him, but they were only speculations. Little by little, her suspicions began to become more possible, and now it is real. Dimitri has to die.

"There is another way, is there not? You cannot die." She replies fervently causing Dimitri to stop with his shirt halfway down. She clears her throat. "I mean, you literally cannot die. I tried. Several times, remember?"

Dimitri continues to dress ignoring Rose completely. For a couple of seconds, they remain silent, and Rose knows that they are back where they started: Dimitri being closed off to everyone and pushing Rose away. She sighs and holds back the pitiful tears that threaten to come out. Defeated, she begins to clean herself up with the now cold water. Both of them work in silence and distant like they didn't almost… Rose closes her eyes and shoves the kiss and his sweet words somewhere deep in her heart. What if the guilt hadn't overtaken her? What if the guilt of being engaged to Adrian hadn't rooted itself into her mind as she kissed Dimitri? What if Adrian's grief stricken eyes didn't flash behind her closed eyelids? Would she have let Dimitri fuck her senseless? Does she want him to?

"Does Ivan know what happened with his mother and your father?" She asks trying to coax back Dimitri into trusting her and trying to forget Adrian, and that she is beginning to betray him.

"Yes," Dimitri replies simply sitting back down on the chair. "I cannot hide much from them. Besides, I could not hide this from him. He had to know."

"How did he take it?" Rose asks half interested, half distracted with trying to tie the laces of the corset on her back.

Dimitri grabs her waist and pulls her close. He turns her around and slowly begins to tie the laces, his fingers lingering on her flesh. "Not well. He shifted and ran back to the Zeklos domain. He tried to kill her. Mason and I arrived just in time, but he had managed to tear her legs off. Ivan values loyalty above all else."

"That is terrible," Rose whispers, her mind focusing on the feathery yet powerful caress of his fingers on her lower back. Dimitri doesn't reply as he finishes with the corset. "Is there another way to break the curse?" She asks again once he is done and leaning back on the chair watching her pull the black skirt up her legs.

"No," he replies without hesitation. He will not let her find out about the curse. He will not let her die because… In that moment, he curses his Babushka to hell. How could she do this to him? Curse him to let the only woman he will ever love to die. He curses out loud in Russian and rushes out of the room leaving Rose dumbfounded wondering what she said this time.

Dimitri doesn't even care he just changed into new clothes. Once outside, he begins to shift. The pain on his ribs, courtesy of Isaiah, doesn't even bother him as he shifts violently and begins to run. He runs as fast as his legs allow, his muscles complaining. For hours, he runs aimlessly and every once in a while he whimpers and howls painfully like a wounded animal. When he finally tires several hours later, he realizes he's near Moscow. He slumps on the ground and continues to whimper. The sound of a coming target doesn't even worry him.

"_Holy fuck,_" Mason pants and groans. "_Holy fuck you can run. I thought I would never reach you. Holy fuck._"

"_What do you want, Mason?" _Dimitri asks sadly and defeated.

"_I want to know if you are all right._" The red wolf lies down next to his Alpha. _"Rose is worried. Since you did not return after an hour, she asked me to come find you._"

"_You left her?" _Dimitri's rage returns to him like a strike of lightning. _"The rogues…"_

_"Are licking their wounds. They will not attack so soon. Not after the piece of arm I bit from Isaiah." _Mason says proudly and would grin if he could. "_Besides, Ivan and Sydney are with her._"

The Alpha sighs and lies down on the dirt again burying his snout under his paws. "_I love her. Fuck! I love her, Mason. After all the barriers, all the walls I put up, the precautions I took to never fall in love with the woman that would set me free, and I still fell!"_ The anguish is not only heard but felt as Dimitri begins to shake.

"_I know," _Mason replies softly after a while. "_I think you have loved her since the moment Rhonda described her for you. I am sure you do not remember, or you will try to deny it, but you talked about her entirely too much. In every town we went into, every girl you saw, you would say 'her hair does not look like silk.' 'Her eyes are not full of fire.' 'She is not exotic enough.' It was a pain in the ass! Then you came back from Istanbul five years ago, and your eyes were dark and haunted like you lost someone you loved again. Do not be afraid to love her."_

_"How can I not be afraid, Mason? If I have to lose her to be human, to stop being the beast?" _Dimitri snarls angrily more at himself than Mason.

"_Stay this way then," _Mason suggests with a tone that makes Dimitri feel like a child.

"_How will she love me this way? Besides, I cannot die, and she can and will. She will die anyway."_

_"Bite her." _Mason wishes he could roll his eyes. The answers are so simple that it surprises him Dimitri has not thought of them. "_Make her your mate, and she will never die."_

_"I will not doom her to this life. And you seem to assume that she feels anything…"_

_"Come on! Are you this stupid? I am sorry, I am sorry. I did not call you stupid." _Mason amends quickly as Dimitri growls threateningly. "_She sent me to find you! She has to care, right?"_

_"She loves her fiancée." _Dimitri replies miserably.

"_Lord Ivashkov is in Istanbul or Budapest getting drunk off his ass to forget he lost his woman to you. On the other hand, you are with her. Make her fall in love with you."_

_"You are full of great and simple ideas tonight, are you not? How do you intend I do that?" _

_"You are already doing it, Alpha." _With a snort, Mason gets up and runs back to Baia leaving Dimitri to his thoughts.

For a second, Dimitri wonders what exactly is he doing then he realizes that Mason must be talking about his attempts at seducing Rose. If she was indifferent, she would not moan or become aroused whenever he touched or kissed her. She would be disgusted or afraid of him. With renewed hope, Dimitri pushes himself off the ground and stretches his legs. Ignoring his aching and tired muscles, Dimitri pushes himself to run faster than he did earlier. Rose is waiting for him.

If Dimitri had stayed just a few more minutes, he would have heard the voices arguing. He would have found out that Adrian and others are getting closer. Lord Mazur orders the Guardians to set up a camp just below the hill Dimitri and Mason just were. As the Guardians move around setting tents, Abe tends to his wounded wife while Adrian, Lissa and Christian begin a heated argument.

"Adrian," Lissa pleads. "Do not go. It is dangerous. You should not place so much faith on the words of Eddie! He is being controlled. Wait for Janine to recuperate. She will find Rose."

"I am done waiting," Adrian replies angrily and shoving Lady Dragomir, who was holding onto his arm, away. She falls on the dirt as Christian unsheathes his sword.

"I will kill you for that!" Ozera shouts furiously.

"Fuck off," Adrian snaps as he grabs Oscar's reigns. "I will find Rose myself. You are all dragging me down. And that traitor has been more useful than Hathaway."

"Ivashkov!" Mazur joins the conversation at the mention of his wife with contempt. "I order you to dismount and do not do anything reckless! If Rose is in Baia, then we will all go there, together. You set foot into their den, and you will be slaughtered."

"I do not take orders from you, _zmey. _You are all dragging me down. I will find her, and I slay the beast or die trying." With a last glare at everyone, Adrian takes off. From a safe distance, Eddie watches sadly as Isaiah's plan is set into motion and working out to perfection like he wanted. _Kill them all. _Isaiah commanded. _We will gather them in a single location, and we will kill them all._

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**All right, brace yourselves, lemon (or possibly multiple lemons) coming up soon. I hope to make your ovaries explode! Haha. Did you like this chapter? ;) **


	26. Draw Your Swords

**Hey, guys. This is ComradeInLOVE reporting for duty. Here's the long-awaited chapter. Monse has been through a very rough couple of days, so give her your love, guys. She's amazing and working so hard on this right now. I barely have time to beta, because she's bombarding me with work =) See you soon!**

**AN: Soo, I'm back! And I have to admit some stuff happened that I swear I thought of leaving this story. Thankfully, I didn't. Y'all have to thank my beta, **ComradeInLOVE **because she's fucking awesome and got some sense knocked into me. Thank you my dear, this chapter is for you! :) Second, stop reading. Go to youtube and look up **Draw Your Swords **by **Angus and Julia Stone**, and listen to that song as you read this chapter and then until your ears bleed and your ovaries explode. XP**

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_Rose_

Pacing back and forth nonstop, my feet must be caving a hole on the flagstone floor. Running my clammy hands through my hair, I glance up at the horizon for what must be the tenth time in two minutes hoping to see his prominent figure in the distance. All I see is Baia: abandoned, broken, and sad. Distracted, I try to picture Baia in its former glory as described by Mason. I cannot imagine it. Mother Nature and time have been cruel on this place. Houses have crumbled completely to the ground like pastries while others are on the verge of falling to pieces. Withered weeds grow without control or remedy. Sydney has commented, in her attempts at distracting me from my worries, that Dimitri plans on restoring the magnificence of the Belikov domain. Technically the pack should be working on rebuilding the castle, but we have lost Alberta and mourning is in order.

After staring for so long, the high sun of midday blinds me, so I look down at my feet moving automatically still pacing in the same spot. The worries return to my head as I chew my bottom lip letting my mind torture me with endless scenarios for his delay. Isaiah has caught him. Surely the monster has cornered Dimitri and… I shut my eyes and shake my head fervently attempting to shake off the horrible thoughts. It's not possible. Dimitri is a badass werewolf. He defeats life.

"Shut up," I mutter knocking the side of my head with the heel of my right palm. "Shut up. Adrian… I love Adrian Ivashkov. When this is over, I will return to him. We will wed. I love Adrian. I love Adrian."

"Are you sure about that?" Mason's smug voice startles me practically making me jump out of my skin. When I turn to face him with my arms crossed over my chest, he is leaning casually against the wall with an apple on his hand. His grin widens when he sees the obvious indignation in my eyes and posture.

"Remember when I told you I would cut off your tongue if you kept addressing my _personal _affairs with Adrian?" I remind him as I narrow my eyes.

He shrugs clearly unconcerned with my threats and takes a big bite out of his apple. "I can find other ways to enlighten you with truth," he says in between chews. "I could use my hands. Women say I am _very_ skilled with them." He winks and chuckles darkly.

I sigh ignoring his innuendo and picking up my pacing again. His chuckling dies slowly, and he goes silent only for the chewing and biting of his apple. Meanwhile, I continue to worry for his absence and at the same time trying to make sense of all these conflicting thoughts. I should not care for Dimitri's well-being. He is technically not my jailer any more, but he is still a werewolf. He is the creature I have sworn to hate and kill, for he is the one who started this whole thing. Granted he was only protecting his family. If Ekaterina had managed to kill Dimitri's mother, he and his sisters would have been next. Everything I have ever known about the werewolves is wrong, and it is hard to shake years of believing all of them are evil, murderous creatures. Slowly though, I have come to realize the rogues are the truly twisted ones. They have killed more loved ones than Dimitri's pack. And Isaiah has Eddie under his control. I try not to dwell too long on Eddie's fate, or I feel I will lose my mind. One of my best friends, a brother, is one of the hellhounds. How could that happen? Did the rogues attack my home? Is everyone else alive and well?

It is time for me to go back home, but I can't. As much as I want to deny it, I have grown comfortable with the pack. And thinking of just leaving Dimitri makes my palms sweat even more. Maybe I could convince him to go home with me. I can't imagine how that would go with my father and Adrian. Just the thought of Adrian makes me feel nervous and guilty, not the usual feelings I should associate when thinking of my fiancé. Before this whole mess with Dimitri, I waited anxiously for the beast to be dead, so I could marry Adrian and be Lady Ivashkov. Now, when I close my eyes I don't see Adrian's emerald eyes, I see Dimitri's brown orbs like molten chocolate. I don't yearn for Adrian's touch or lips, I ache for a certain Russian werewolf. God, when did things get so complicated? And where the hell is Dimitri?

"You are worried," Mason states flatly as he tosses the core of his apple aside.

"You said you spoke to him," I reply ignoring him. I don't like the way he said those words like he knows me better than I do myself. All of this friendliness with the werewolves is not going to make things easy when I have to leave.

He nods and sits on the hard ground and leans back on his elbows. "He will be here shortly, milady."

"You said that when you returned. Three hours ago. Where is he?" I snap twisting my hands nervously and glancing once again at the horizon.

"You are worried," he repeats this time with that smug, all knowing grin on his face. I wish I could wipe it off with my fist, but I can't: he speaks the truth.

"No," I snort attempting to hide exactly how I feel. Mason snorts, clearly disbelieving. "He just… He knows things I need to know." I say more to myself than to him.

"Sure, Rose. I know you love him. You are just trying to deny it. You are afraid."

"Of what? Of him? I may have been at some point, but not anymore." I reply defiantly jerking my chin up.

"Good," Mason's grin gets wider showing off his teeth as he wiggles his eyebrows up and down. "That will make things easier."

"Ugh, we are wasting our time here. We should go find him. He could be in trouble…" I say instead, ignoring his comment. Make things easier? What does that even mean? I decide not to indulge him in his game. But the worry soon comes back full force, and I realize I do want to go out looking for him.

"Naw," he lies all the way down with his hands under his head and closes his eyes clearly not worried at all. "Dimitri is a big boy. He can take care of himself. And if he was in trouble, the pack would know. _You _would know." He finishes suggestively.

"_I _would know? How so?" Well, so much for not indulging him. But I'm genuinely curious. What does he know that I don't? Does it involve the curse and how to break it without killing Dimitri? I lower myself next to Mason and pretend to be uninterested in the topic as I tug at the weeds growing through the flagstone.

Mason sits up frowning as he looks at the horizon. For a second, I think he sees Dimitri, but when I see nothing in the distance through the blinding rays of the Sun, I realize Mason's just deep in thought.

"I am not certain," he pauses for a second, seeming to choose his words. Then, he turns to meet my eyes. "You are not a werewolf, _yet_." I ignore the way he emphasizes 'yet' mostly because he continues in a rush. "Regardless, you were able to hear Alberta's dying message as well as Isaiah's insane rants. Of course, we suspect Isaiah has been busy practicing and plotting this for quite some time. He developed the gift, so he could communicate with humans and us. When he and the rogues broke away, we could no longer communicate. That is why Dimitri could not control them anymore. As you could see a few hours ago, the rogues seem vulnerable, and this could be Dimitri's chance to bring them back to us. To make them part of the pack." He pauses as his eyes fill with excitement making him look a lot younger than eighteen. "Like we have done with you. When I said you are a part of the pack, I meant it, Rose. You are a part of us. That is how you would know if Dimitri is in trouble. It is a pull, a feeling." He finishes eagerly.

For a second, I am speechless and breathless. I have been accepted in their pack, their family. Even after I have hunted and killed so many of them. His kind words and the acceptance of the pack make me feel strange in a good way. "So that is how you knew I was in trouble or does that only work with the Alpha?" I say clearing my throat in case it comes out broken with emotion.

"Yes. Dimitri just… felt on edge. He kept pacing murmuring that perhaps it was not a good idea to let you go. Then we heard a scream, and he just knew it was you. I have never seen him shift so damn fast. Hell, that must have hurt like shit." Mason grimaces as he seems to recall Dimitri's hasty transformation. That confession makes me wonder just how much Dimitri cares for me. Not those thoughts again. I hold back a groan. Then another thought hits me like a bucket of cold water.

"If Dimitri manages to control the rogues, would that save Eddie? Would he get his free will back?" I ask as the hope surges inside me, making my heart beat fast praying that this is the way to free Eddie.

"Yes." Mason doesn't even hesitate in replying, and that makes me feel better. "I doubt Dimitri would let him live, though." He adds quietly. "Do not panic. He just does not like it when you are threatened or harmed."

"Eddie has never harmed or threatened…" I trail off when Mason looks skeptically at me. "So he dug his claws in my shoulders. Eddie is not Eddie at the moment. Sydney says the rogues own him now. Dimitri could set him free; you just said that."

Mason sighs and shakes his head as he joins me in tugging the weeds. "I guess you will have to ask Dimitri."

"Ask me what?" His voice is filled with such lightness that at first I think I'm dreaming, hallucinating. However, when I look up, he is standing in front of me wearing what he calls a duster with his hair tied tightly at the nape of his neck. I can't see his face with the sun in my eyes, so I try to stand. "Allow me, milady." Immediately, he extends his hand out, and I take it without hesitation.

Once I'm on my feet, he hugs my waist pulling me off the ground and spinning me twice. When he sets me down, we are both smiling. His smile is far more blinding than the Sun, and the way he looks younger, less sad, less beaten takes my breath away. Without thinking, I hug his torso and bury my face in his chest. For a second, he stiffens but slowly his arms envelope me. He rubs my back gently, sending shivers down my spine all the way to my toes.

"I have something for you," he says all of a sudden letting go of me. I would be disappointed if the excitement in his voice wasn't contagious, and the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. My jaw hits the floor at the sight before me, and I briefly wonder how did I not see the mare behind him. Must have been the relief to see him well plus the pleasant way he greeted me. "For you." He says pulling the grey mare along. "I do not intend to replace Sonya or Oscar, but perhaps Serena will heal the wound left in your heart by their absence." He grows silent for a second as we both stroke the mare's neck. "I am sorry I cannot do anything about your mother."

"Dimitri," I whisper stepping closer to him to place my hand over his still on Serena's neck. "Thank you." With the overwhelming feeling of happiness and sorrow, I stand on my toes and kiss the corner of his mouth. He inhales sharply and his hands find their way around my waist and rest on my lower back. "You had no part in the death of my mother. However I brought death…" I trail off just thinking of Alberta and her stomach open. And Eddie… Oh, God. My eyes sting, and Dimitri seems to feel my despair, for he pulls me closer still.

"No," he replies fervently, his eyes gazing into mine with such intensity I feel he can see and touch my soul. "I bring death. Not you. You bring life, beauty, and hope and…" He trails off and after a kiss to the top of my head, he steps away. Immediately I feel the emptiness in my arms and chest. Repressing a sigh, I stroke Serena. "I have more gifts for you." Dimitri says as he moves towards some bags strapped to Serena's back.

"Did you steal them?" I ask lightly, though of course excited that he thought of me. "Is this why you took so long to arrive?" The last part comes out like a reprimand. The tone doesn't escape him, of course, nothing ever does.

He chuckles lightly and pulls out another gift. This time a white dress with sleeves off the shoulders, floor length with an intricate belt made of gold at the waist. I stare open mouthed at the simplicity yet beauty of the dress. Cautiously, I touch the fabric: silk and by the feeling of it, French.

"I did not steal them. Believe it or not, there are some places that do not hate the Belikov name, and they still take my gold." He explains, and I can feel his fiery gaze on me.

"Thank…" He cuts me off with the next gift he pulls out of his duster. A necklace with four oval shaped rubies hanging from a silver chain. "You." I finish breathlessly.

"Allow me," he unclasps the necklace as I turn around and move my hair out of the way so he can place it around my neck. His fingers linger on my skin, caressing me with the sweetest most beautiful touch, and I can hardly breathe. He spins me around and smiles appreciatively as he touches the rubies resting just above my breasts. "Magnificent. But do not thank me yet, milady," a playful smirk begins to appear on his lips.

So young. He looks so young, so carefree. Like he's no longer carrying the heavy burden of his father's murder. Like he's no longer cursed. Like he's no longer a beast. He never was, I realize. Be still, heart. But my heart rarely ever listens. It beats faster and faster as Dimitri unsheathes two swords made of pure silver. Slowly, he steps closer and hands one of them to me. First, I am mesmerized by the amazing work the smith has done on this sword. It is so light yet it looks sturdy and sharp. With this, I can slice Isaiah's limbs without effort. The tilt has small roses engraved, while the blade has an unruly pattern of thorns and vines.

"Beautiful," I whisper in awe as I touch the patterns with the tips of my fingers. "I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to make this sword. Who is the smith?"

"Damon Tarus " Dimitri replies without taking his eyes off me. "While I admire your ingenuity to fabricate your very own weapons," I roll my eyes, though enjoy the amusement in his voice as he recalls my crude weapons. "I do believe you need something more worthy of you. Besides, you need to be prepared for the next time Isaiah comes." His eyes turn dark with fury as he thinks of the red-eyed monster.

"I look forward to it," I reply just as darkly, gripping the tilt of my sword tightly. If there is one beast I am eager to cut into tiny, bite size pieces, it is Isaiah. He will pay for all the lives he has taken, for turning Eddie into nothing but a puppet. Dimitri seems to feel my eagerness and own fury. Gently, he caresses my cheek with the pad of his right thumb.

"His day will come. I will give you his head, Roza. I promise." Suddenly, he shifts from passionate to playful as he looks down at the other sword in his hand. "I cannot remember the last time I held a sword," he muses gently as he looks at it in the light.

"It is silver," I frown at how the material doesn't seem to bother him, then again, it never actually did.

"I cannot feel it," he replies shooting a grin in my direction. "The silver does not bother me anymore."

With that, he begins to swing the sword with precision and moves with skill slicing through imaginary foes that if real, would lie in a pile under a pool of their own blood in a matter of seconds. Mesmerized, I forget the world around me. There's only him and me. Dimitri and Rose. Not werewolf and huntress. Just two people with a past we can't run away from because fate and a witch are hell-bent on bringing us together.

Why fight it? I have nothing to lose. I cannot go back to my old life, not knowing everything I now know. No one will want to hear how Dimitri and his pack are different. Adrian will not care. They will hunt Dimitri down, and I will be torn between my family and my love. The admission makes my heart beat as fast as the wings of the hummingbird. It is as if my heart is agreeing. As if it is saying "finally, you realize we love him." Always. It has always been him.

"Dimitri," I whisper his name like a prayer. I say his name again and again until he stops fighting his foes, drops the sword, and in three long strides he stands before me. "Dimitri." I continue to say as he stands so close breathing my air, sharing my lungs, and our hearts beat as one. His hands grasp my face with such delicacy that makes my heart ache in the most beautiful way. His hair is all over his face and beads of sweat adorn his forehead and entire body. His lips are parted as he breathes heavily after the workout. And then I finally say the words. "Kiss me."

"As you command, milady," he whispers before claiming my lips as his forever. He takes my lower lip between his and sucks hard as I devour his upper, letting the sword fall to the ground as my hands cling to his shoulders and my hips press against his midriff. His hands don't remain on my face; they explore my body in a way it has never been explored. He strokes my neck with his thumbs then slides his hands downward to my breasts where he kneads them gently. I don't hold back the moan that escapes my lips and gets trapped in his mouth as he continues to kiss me biting and sucking on my lips.

His hands abandon my breasts, but they continue to explore. Gently, he slides both hands down my stomach and around my lower back. Downward to cup my ass and hoist me up. Without hesitation, I wrap my legs around his torso and in one swift movement, remove the tie around his hair letting it finally fall free wildly. We accomplished it all without stopping our tongues from massaging each other. He groans deeply and removes his lips from mine as I run my fingers through his hair. Both of us breathe heavily after the long passionate kiss.

"Draw your swords, my love, shot me to the ground," he breathes out right under my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "For my heart is yours. Do with it as you please." By the time he finishes, his eyes meet mine, and I can see clearly how much he loves me. He is giving me the chance to break his heart, to hurt him like he has feared all these years. To control him in the same way Ekaterina did to his father.

"Never." I whisper kissing his forehead, running my fingers through his beautiful hair. "I will never break you. I will never hurt you, Dimitri. You are the only one for me. You are mine," I pause meeting his eyes conveying just how much I love him as well. "I am yours."

He says nothing more, instead brings my lips down to his and kisses me more fervently, more desperately like our time is almost over. I don't protest or dwell on anything just the feeling of his lips on mine: his teeth grazing my upper lip, his tongue running over the contour of my lips, the moisture between my legs, his hands through my hair, my chest swelling with love. We moan at the same time as he squeezes my ass, and I throw my head back looking up at the sky. He doesn't stop kissing me; he begins to leave feathery bites and kisses along my neck. His tongue moves down from under my ear to my collarbone.

Then, suddenly, he stops and sets me down on the ground. I can see it is a great effort to step away from me. His skin is blushed, he is breathing heavily, and the bulge in his pants is, well, huge. I pout and take a step towards him, but he steps away. Hurt begins to make its way through the bliss of loving him. That doesn't escape him, so he takes my hand and kisses it. His lips twitch with an amused smile.

"I will not touch you again," the smile gets wider, and I frown wondering why he wouldn't want to touch me. "Not until you beg me." He winks and understanding dawns on me.

My eyes get wide as I recall the words he said to me in Codrii Vlăsiei what feels like ages ago. Under any other circumstance, I, Lady Rosemarie Hathaway Mazur, would not be subjected to begging. But my empty arms wish to hold him again, the coldness in my skin needs his to warm me, the aching in my lips for his are too much to handle. With slow steps, I move towards him and this time he doesn't step back. With my right hand, I caress his cheek and bite my lower lip.

"Will you really make me scream your name to the heavens?" I ask quietly, standing on my toes with my lips a breath away from his.

He inhales sharply, no doubt remembering when he said those words to me. "I will make you scream until you are hoarse, Roza." The promise in his voice is my undoing as my muscles clench in anticipation.

"Please, fuck me." I whisper sensually as I meet his eyes conveying through them how much I want him, though I'm sure he can smell my arousal and feel the lust thickening the air again.

"No, Roza. I will not fuck you. I am going to love you." Then, his lips are back on mine and my legs are wrapped around his torso as he carries me inside. He doesn't even need to see where he is going as he races up the stairs to his own chamber where he will claim me as his forever.

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**Ok, I know the characters are a bit OOC, but fuck da police! I like this Dimitri and Rose. And yes, I know, I'm a tease ;) Next chapter is the lemon, pinky promise. **


	27. Over the Love

(The strange title is the name of a song I keep listening to over and over from The Great Gatsby soundtrack. I swear I would totally go gay for Florence Welch, and I have no shame in admitting so.)

**Lovely Readers,**  
I am sorry, first of all, to disappoint you but this is just an author's note and not the promised lemon. I can, however, assure you it is coming up very soon! My lovely beta is currently working on it, but her life is also pretty hectic so be patient, young grasshoppers!  
The reason for this note is not to reprimand you for your excitement and eagerness to read the rest of the story. At this point, feel free to skip this note and ignore me because I am about to get freaking emotional, I blame it on the meds I am on and the shit I've been through these past few days which I will not get into because this is not a cry fest. Simply put, I just want to thank y'all. Reading your reviews are always such a joy to me. I am not the kind of person who focuses on the amount but the content of the reviews. Who does not enjoy a little bit of appreciation for a lot of hard work? Basically, just thank you so freaking much. Again, the love not the number of reviews are what push me to write, and I am extremely happy that many of you have noticed the improvement of my writing; I have too of course which was my purpose when I joined fanfic in 2011. Also, my goodness, thank you for never flaming me! In the two years I have been a member of this website, I have never received a flaming review like some great authors, some not so great, have. I do not look forward to said review honestly because I will lose my shit and cut you up. I kid. Not. So thank you for sticking so damn long with me through the roughness and dullness of the beginning of this story.

Next, I just want to show a little appreciation for my beta Romi, AKA **ComradeInLOVE**. Hey, hon! Surprise AN! My phone is absolute shit with copy and paste, but I wanted to surprise you. Just thank the freaking heavens for you. I indeed got very lucky to have you as my beta! I could have chosen someone who was not interested in helping me grow as an author, someone who simply wanted to get a peak at the next chapter ahead of others, which is fine I wouldn't care. But that is not the case. You have taught me a lot. Changed my mind when I could have made **MONUMENTAL** errors. You have been there when things get a little rough, and I despair. More than a great beta you have become a fantastic friend. Yeah, I'm getting a bit chocked up, so I will now end this lengthy AN with a huge thank you! Not just to Romi but to every single reader. Thank you for reading and taking a moment of your time to leave a review that never fails to bring a joyous smile to my lips.

Lastly, since I am already here, I should mention that B&B is getting closer to the end. Do not fret or despair yet. We have plenty of chapters left. Everything has been outlined, and I just need to write those chapters. I will warn you too that currently I am freaking inspired, and I have completed up to chapter 28 with Romi working hard on 27, also chapter 29 is nearly complete, so you may just get several chapters this week. Yay or no? Be warned too that the next chapters may get pretty long, this time I really want to follow my outline. Do not, however, start a riot if Romi and I can't get the chapters up soon or like I mentioned this week at all. Life is a bitch sometimes and throws unexpected crap. Also, I wouldn't get used to the sudden inspiration that has spurred from a lot of stress and even pain. My brain may just get exhausted soon with all the work I'm making it do, but for the moment let us enjoy this weird inspiration. Anyway, I'll shut the hell up for now. Enjoy the rest of B&B as it has been my absolute pleasure to write! Xoxo.

**With so much frickin' love,**  
Monse aka **littlerichellemead**

**Ps**: do y'all want me to reply to your reviews or not? I was doing it at the beginning but then I thought what if they don't wanna hear from me? So I stopped doing it. Thoughts?


	28. On Fire

**Hi. ComradeInLOVE again. Here it is. LE epic chapter. Enjoy, guys. And let's thank Monse for this amazing chapter.**

**AN: Just wanna thank all guest reviewers for reviewing. Wish I could privately PM you guys!**** Thanks to my beta, **ComradeInLOVE**, for helping with my never ending struggle of writing a smutty scene without it turning out utterly ridiculous and horrible. Thank you hon! And now as promised, le lemon. Enjoy! ;P**

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_Rose_

When we cross the doorway to his chamber, Dimitri stops our kissing, and I can feel the change in his body. He still wants me, just as much as I want him, but he is nervous. I can feel it in the way his eyes look everywhere but at me as if searching for words, or the way his body tenses. I know I should be nervous too with this being my first time, but I am not. However, I briefly wonder why he is the nervous one. Instead of asking, I give his lips a quick peck before jumping out of his arms. Hopefully, he will tell me in time. He lets me go, and I step into the room curious to see where he grew up. A four poster bed with red drapes torn and a mattress with white silk sheets are the first thing I see. I take slow steps deeper into the room and stop at a desk under the window across from the door. To my right, four pillars lead to what I believe would be the bath. Another chandelier, made of gold like in the room I was in, hangs from the center of the ceiling. Paintings and armors adorn the walls, but the painting above the bed of a sixteen year old Dimitri with a wolf catches my eye.

He looks the same. Same long dark hair, brown eyes, tall stature, and strong, prominent figure. The only difference is that the Dimitri in the painting looks more innocent. I suppose that was before he found about his father, and his hand was forced. "Why a wolf?" I ask curiously stepping closer toward the bed until my knees hit the edge.

"Our family crest is a wolf," he replies quietly still from the doorway. "Somewhat ironic, would you not agree?"

"Fitting, I would say." I reply turning my head to look at him, but he is suddenly behind me. His hands circle my waist as his hard bulge presses against my back, and I bite my lip to keep from moaning just imagining his cock inside me, filling me up. "I have not seen your crest." I continue breathlessly as his hands push my hair aside.

"I will show you," he says kissing my shoulder and running his tongue up the side of my neck. When his mouth reaches my ear, he tugs at my earlobe gently. And this time, I can't hold back the moan. "Once I am done with you." Dimitri breathes on my neck. "That will not be any time soon." Another feathery kiss that sets my flesh on fire.

"Where is everyone?" I comment distractedly, my breathing skyrocketing as he undoes the laces he tied earlier at my back slowly.

"Gone." I can hear the smile on his lips. The corset falls open, and he trails his fingers down my spine. "Feel free to scream and moan as loud as you please." He pushes the fabric down, and I let it slide down my arms onto the floor. He spins me around, and I can't help but blush at the way he takes a deep breath as he gazes at my naked breasts as if they are the most delicious dish. He leans forward not to kiss or touch my aching breasts like I thought, hoped he would, but to kiss my shoulders where the marks left by Eddie are still somewhat fresh. "No one will touch you or hurt you ever again, Roza."

I don't say anything as his scorching lips trail kisses all over my neck, along my collarbone, down my belly; but he never touches my breasts, which are begging to be touched as is every other part of my body. "Dimitri, please." I beg as he kneels at my feet grazing his teeth along my midriff.

"What do you want?" He replies huskily as he looks up at me with smoldering lust.

"Touch me," I whisper placing my hands on each side of his face and pulling him up to kiss his lips.

"All in good time, milady," he replies when I release his lower lip from between my teeth. "I will make your first time special." He gives me a lopsided smile as he gently tugs at my skirt.

"How do you know?" I ask mortified that he knows of my inexperience, and now I'm truly nervous. Suddenly, I am aware of our age difference. Not that he's twenty four and I'm eighteen but he's two centuries older than I am. How can I please him with such age gap and inexperience?

"Mason," is all Dimitri says by way of explanation, but he stops his ministrations to look into my eyes. I'm smothered with the lust in his but there's now also gentleness and much love. "I love you, Roza. That is all that matters."

"How many…" I whisper still mortified as he pushes the skirt down my legs, letting it pool at my feet finally leaving me bare and exposed to him.

For a second, he doesn't reply as he just inhales sharply his eyes roaming over my body hungrily, making me quiver with anticipation. He brings his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. "I am not doing this, Rose. Those women never mattered to me; they meant nothing. But you… You are my all."

His words do a great deal of comforting, so I just let it go. I don't dwell on his past conquests, our age difference, or anything else for that matter. There's only him and his eyes gazing at me with overwhelming love and desire. With a nod, he kisses my lips chastely as his hands skim my back. My hands shake as I move them up his sculpted chest to form a crown around his neck. Very slowly, he pushes me backwards, so I fall onto the bed on top of the cool white sheets. As he continues to kiss me with deliberate slowness, his hands travel down my body to the back of my knees. He grasps them, splitting my legs wide open so he can accommodate himself between them.

"You are still fully clothed," I gasp out as his lips trail kisses along my jaw, down my neck, and over my breasts. Finally!

"Would you like to change that?" He smiles against my left nipple before taking it between his teeth. I arch my back and grip the sheets with both hands as his lips suck the taut nipple, hard.

"Please," I whisper as he moves on to my other nipple, giving it the same attention. After a while he kneels, still between my legs. But he does nothing to remedy the situation of his lack of nakedness. He just stares at me with a look that says he can't believe what is in front of him. "Enjoying the view?" I am amazed at my ability to flirt while my entire body is ablaze with his scrutiny.

"Very much, milady," he replies huskily.

"Remove your clothes at once," I narrow my eyes on him as he still does nothing to allow me to have a view of my own.

"I will require your assistance," he replies with a wicked smile on his lips.

Without a second to waste, I sit up with my legs still spread for him. Slowly, I push the duster back and off his strong biceps. He throws the clothing aside as I work my way down the buttons of his chemise. Desperate and impatient, I just rip the shirt open sending buttons flying across the room.

"Patience is not part of your virtues," he teases with a chuckle.

I ignore him completely as my breath hitches at the sight of his beautiful, chiseled and naked torso. I remember fantasizing about licking every crevice of his stomach, and now I have my chance. Looking up at him through my eyelashes, I bring my lips forward to plant a kiss just above his navel. He groans when my lips connect with his skin. I repeat the same feathery kiss below his navel, this time closer to his growing erection.

"Roza," he growls as I dart my tongue out tentatively and begin to, quite literally, lick every crevice of his stomach. His breathing turns into panting as I continue to lick and kiss his chest. Slowly, I become bolder and go as far as letting my hands stroke his hard cock through his pants. "_Roza!_"

He pushes me down on the bed and pins my hands above my head as he kisses me hard with is restrained manhood pressed against my aching core. I begin to rock my hips trying to get some friction between us. Dimitri soon catches on, and he breaks our kissing to move down my body again. This time, he pays me with my own coin using his tongue to caress my skin. He lingers on my breasts flicking his tongue back and forth, side by side over my erect nipples. I don't hold back my moans and relish in the wetness building between my legs and the feeling of my clenching muscles.

"I will take care of you," he murmurs against my skin as he now moves lower to my nether regions.

Before I can reply, not that I would be able to, his long fingers scan my entrance. I gasp expectantly and look down at him wondering why he's teasing me so. His eyes are clouded with worry.

"Dimitri?" I try to sit up, but his index finger flicks my clit softly, and I melt away as the pleasure courses through my entire body. I bite my lip as I moan deep in my throat.

"If I hurt you in any way," he says quietly as his fingers continue to stroke my clit ever so slowly and gently. "You must tell me at once, my love."

I am only capable of nodding before he pushes two fingers inside me. My hands grip the sheets for dear life as my hips arch off the bed. He begins to pump his fingers in and out of me at a slow pace pushing me toward ecstasy. He curls his fingers stroking my inner walls and I shout, feeling the muscles in my belly tightening. At my shout, he stills and removes his fingers, leaving me practically whimpering for more.

"Did I hurt you?" He asks alarmed, leaning forward to look into my eyes as if trying to confirm for himself I am not crying in pain.

"Quite the opposite." I mumble breathlessly after taking his lower lip between my teeth. "Do not stop, Comrade."

He chuckles, relieved, before returning to his ministrations, this time with his tongue joining the party. Every nerve in my body feels on fire as his tongue moves back and forth over my clit with his two thick fingers continuing to move in and out. Then, his fingers are gone, but before I protest his tongue is pushing in and out of me, taking all of my juices.

"Fuck," I gasp and bury my hands in his hair as he goes on with his skillful, naughty tongue bringing me more and more pleasure with each stroke. "Oh, Dimitri."

"Let go, my love," he blows on my sensitive flesh before taking my clit in his mouth. My body begins to shake and quiver as wave after wave of bliss hits me with such force I feel I will black out. Dimitri's tongue continues to stroke me even as I come.

"Hmm," I moan into the pillow as my orgasm sadly begins to fade.

"You are now my favorite meal, Roza." Dimitri looks up at me with dark eyes and licks his lips, moaning softly.

"More," I practically plead and begin to shakily tug at his pants. And when finally he kneels before me in all his naked glory, I bite my lower lip to keep from moaning just at the sight of his erection. Has it always been this big? I try to recall the times I caught sight of his cock during his shifts, but my memories don't do it justice. I meet his eyes questioningly as I tentatively reach out for him.

"It is yours," he smiles wickedly. "As is all of me."

Nervously, I grasp it and begin to move my right hand up and down from head to base.

He inhales sharply and closes his eyes. "That is it. Faster, my love."

I comply with his demands and begin to pump him faster and though I don't know where the idea is coming from, I twirl my thumb around the head. He throws his head back and groans. He doesn't let me continue though, for he pushes me back on the bed and kisses me passionately, his teeth grazing my lips in that way that drives me crazy. Faintly, I can taste myself on his lips. Idly, I wonder what he would taste like. Before I ponder it for long, Dimitri cups my left breast squeezing hard, demanding my attention.

"I want, need, to be inside you, Roza," he whispers against my lips. He presses himself against my entrance; his eyes never leave mine as he asks me for approval. My chest begins to rise and fall with anticipation. This is it. My transition from girl to woman. And I couldn't be readier.

"Please," I beg again, knowing how much it will turn him on. The twitching of his cock against me assures me that indeed it has. "Please, love me, Comrade."

Ever so slowly and with aching gentleness, he eases himself into me. As his lips brush mine gently, I feel every single inch of him, deliciously stretching me and molding me to him. I grimace a little when he breaks through my innocence.

"I will be gentle," he mumbles against my mouth.

I don't say anything as the pain slowly subsides making way for bliss. He pulls out at a slow pace. When he's completely out I feel incomplete, like half of my soul is missing. Soon he pushes back in and repeats the movement over and over. My hips begin to move on their own, arching off the bed meeting his slow strokes. Against my lips, he murmurs my name while my hands get tangled in his hair then slide down to explore his broad back.

"Roza, my love," he whispers beginning to pick up speed. "My beauty. I love you."

Unable to speak, I kiss him desperately relishing in the sound of our flesh slamming against each other and our love pumping our hearts at the same rate. His hands, gently caressing my face, move down my body over the rubies above my breasts, down my belly, and between our bodies. His thumb begins to rub my clit side to side, and I climb higher and higher. My nails rake his forearms, drawing blood, as the feeling of my coming orgasm begins to build again.

"Fuck," he groans this time when he feels my walls clench around him. "Fuck." He pounds in and out harder as his thumb moves faster over my clit while his other hand tries to spread my legs farther apart as if trying to bury himself completely inside me.

And then it happens. "_Dimitri_!" I shout out to the heavens closing my eyes as my body trembles and I wrap my legs tightly around him. "Dimitri!" I shout again and that is his own undoing. He stills inside me, reaching his own climax, filling me up completely.

"Roza, Roza, Roza," he repeats as we both descend from heaven where we danced with angels and tasted the forbidden fruit.

"I love you," I kiss the top of his head while my hands stroke his hair lovingly. "I love you, my beast." We both chuckle, a little out of breath.

"I told you, milady," he rests his head on my chest, and I can hear the smug smile on his lips. "I told you, I would make you shout my name."

"That you did," I mumble contently closing my eyes letting him hear the sound of my erratic heartbeat.

"How do you feel?" He asks rising his head to look at me.

"Ecstatic, madly in love with a werewolf..." I trail off letting him see exactly how I feel with a wide smile I swear will split my face in half.

"Sore?" He adds as a joyous grin spreads across his lips at my words.

"A little," I shrug.

"I hope I made your first time memorable," and suddenly, he becomes nervous again. In front of me is not a powerful, feared Alpha. No, he is suddenly a man concerned with the enjoyment and happiness of his lady.

I smile lovingly and push his hair behind his ear. "More than memorable. Is that why you were nervous when we came into your chambers?" I ask arching my left eyebrow like he taught me.

He frowns. "You noticed that?" He sighs and finally pulls out his placid manhood. He falls back on the bed face up and pulling me with him. I snuggle close to his side with my head resting on his shoulder and my right leg over his torso.

"Yes and no." He continues quietly. "I have been with many women, and I am not saying so to hurt your feelings or gloat. I never cared about them. Never concerned myself with their pleasure. As I have told you, they were only for my entertainment, to prove I was the one in control of them. Of course, many claimed I was a god. Still, I worried I would not know how to satisfy you. How to make your first time unforgettable."

"Accomplished," I murmur happily planting a small kiss to his chest.

He chuckles pulling me close. He hesitates before saying his next words which cause me to practically have a heart attack. "Then I thought of your fiancé. And I nearly faltered. Could I steal another man's woman? I realized though, you were not his. Besides, I am not noble." He chuckles, but I don't join as the disgust of what I have done begins to twist my stomach. "Roza?"

I sit up holding the sheets tightly to my chest. "Motherfucker," I close my eyes and cover my face with both of my hands in shame. I had completely forgotten about Adrian. "What have I done? My God, I am a whore."

"Do not say that ever again!" Dimitri growls sitting up next to me. "You are not a whore."

I laugh humorlessly turning to look at him with my own self-hatred depicted clearly on my face. "Are you joking? I just slept with the man that is not my fiancé. How does that not make me a whore, Dimitri?"

"The same reason that made me throw any reservations to hell, we are in love. As much as we denied it, we are mad for each other, Roza. A wise person once told me, love is not forced. It simply happens."

His words bring a bit of comfort, but I still feel wretched. How could I do this to Adrian? He must be going absolutely insane thinking I am being tortured by Dimitri. What will I do when he finds out I no longer love him? That I probably never did. Not the way I love Dimitri anyway. I do care for Adrian, and I would do anything for him, but I would also do anything for Lissa, or Dad, or Christian or Eddie. But Dimitri... I would go to the iced pits of hell just to sell my soul in exchange of his freedom. I would shut God down if it meant I could not have my love by my side because no place is heaven without him. And the thought of him gone brings me near to hysterics. That still does not diminish the severity of what I have done to Adrian, who is innocent in all of this, who without a doubt loves me.

"He does not deserve this," I murmur shaking my head as tears begin to blur my vision recalling Adrian's broken expression when we said our goodbyes at Codrii Vlăsiei.

"I am sorry," Dimitri sighs stroking my hair gently. "I should not... I am sure you are full of regret now... You can leave at any moment. I will not hold you back." He shifts as if to get up, but I grasp his hand.

"Shut up," I chastise gently as I take one look at his eyes. There is hurt, so much hurt in them. Taking his face between my hands, I kiss his lips chastely. "First, I am not leaving you ever again. Second, I do not regret what just happened. I only wish we had done this right. Adrian is a good person, as much as you hate him, he is. And he does not deserve to be hurt this way. However, I will sort this out later because I am the only one at fault here. No, do not say anything, Comrade." I silence him with a kiss as he begins to protest. "Now, you promised you would not be done with me any time soon." I smile suggestively as my hands stroke him over the sheets and feel him spring into action.

"You shall be the death of me, Roza," he growls making us fall into the bed for a next round.

_Adrian_

No one seems to know where Baia is. And if they do, they are too afraid to say anything. Some mumble in Russian, moving hastily away from Adrian shooting him a glare. For what he catches from their rapid speech, Baia is believed to be cursed. He would not doubt it for one second. According to the Traitor, as Adrian now addresses Eddie, Belikov was born there and that is where the witch cursed him. Lissa warned him not to put so much faith in the words of a shifting rogue, one that nearly killed Janine. But Adrian is too desperate, too grief stricken to think of much else. This is the only lead he has after weeks of traveling, of hoping Janine could find Rose.

"Her scent is everywhere," Janine had explained frustrated as she held a piece of cloth with smudges of blood. "But this is hers. I am sure."

Adrian had snatched the cloth from her hands and gripped it tightly in his hands. He shook violently with anger rippling through him at the thought of his beloved Little Huntress bleeding to death. That was when the hunter decided the others were dragging him down. Then, the Traitor betrayed them, and that was all the incentive Adrian needed to abandon them all. He will find Rose, and he will bring her home. They will wed, and she will be safe again. With renewed purpose, Adrian tugs at Oscar's reigns and leads him out of Moscow. The people here have been useless. In his mind, he begins to plan riding to Siberia where he will ask for Baia's location once more.

"You ought to stop," the old witch's voice returns to him after days of silence.

Adrian ignores it, but the persistent sound of a cane against the gravel makes him turn to the side where he finds a frail old lady walking next to him. Despite her appearance, she seems to be capable of keeping up with him.

"You told me I needed to save Rose," Adrian rolls his eyes and tugs Oscar's reigns harder, but the horse is exhausted and barely able to lift his hoofs off the ground. "That is what I am doing."

The witch shakes her head. "Your heart is so full of hatred, of anger. This will not do. You cannot save her by spilling blood."

Adrian comes to a halt and turns his crazed, emerald eyes on her. "Spilling the blood of the beast will set Rose free from whatever hold he has on her. That is how I will save her. And how can my heart not be filled with such emotions? My reason for living has been stolen from me!"

The witch shakes her head and sighs deeply, tiredly. "You are making this harder than it needs to be, Ivashkov. No matter, I always enjoy a challenge. Baia is where the lovers swear eternal love. Where murder and betrayal taint the soul. Where the Moon shines just as brightly as the Sun. Where the wolves protect their prey."

Adrian frowns in confusion before running a hand through his hair and scoffing. "I do not do poetry, witch." But after blinking for a millisecond, the witch disappears.

"_When the time comes,_" the witch's voice resonates in his head. "_I hope you do the right thing. Only you can break the curse now. Will you?_"

Adrian wishes he could snap at the witch. He wishes he could demand answers and torture her when she doesn't give them to him. How is he going to break the curse? He has to find Baia to start with, and so far there has been no such luck. As he climbs on the exhausted stallion, Adrian muses about the words recited by the witch.

_Baia is where the lovers swear eternal love. _Lovers? That part makes no sense to Adrian. Of course, in the back of his mind an unsettling thought comes to him. Rose and… He crushes the idea before it takes root in his brain.

_Where murder and betrayal taint the soul. Where the Moon shines just as brightly as the Sun. Where the wolves protect their prey_. Suddenly, Adrian realizes that the witch has been far more helpful than he thought at first. She has given him directions, pieces of Baia's story. Pushing poor Oscar to his limits, Adrian sets out to Siberia where he knows the legend of the young man who murdered his father began.


	29. Never Enough

**Hi, everybody! ComradeInLOVE once more :) Here's chapter 28 and I'm starting with chapter 29 today. Think it's gonna be ready for tomorrow? ;) Yes, we all agree that the last chapter totally rocked it. Thank you for thanking me and let's thank Monse for her hard work. We do our best in every chapter so they're flawless. Thank you all of you who read and leave kind messages :)**

**P.s.: To Guest who said "I think you meant "Flaccid" manhood, not "Placid" flaccid means no muscule definition, flat, limp, no movement. Placid refers to a persons moods, personality, they are quiet, etc.". Thank you for trying to help. However, I disagree with you, we know what we mean. "Placid" is correctly used. It's not as common as "flaccid", and we didn't want to express "a person's mood or personality"; we wanted to say that it was relaxed. It has other meanings besides the ones you correctly referred to and with "no movement", you said what we referred to by "placid", (I also think you meant "muscle"). We discuss every chapter thoroughly; every sentence, phrase, and word so we accord with grammar and punctuation rules and adapt this story accurately to slang and colloquial English. As I said before, we do our best and make sure every chapter is faultless before we post them. Thank you for the notion, though.**

**AN: Thanks for R&R everyone! :) As always and forever, thanks to my beta, ComradeInLOVE, for all that she does! I forgot to mention this on my previous, long ass AN: I am working on another R&D story. More details to come but for now enjoy my loves! **

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_Dimitri _

I should have waited to make love to her. This will not end well. She will realize her mistake soon enough, and she will hate me. I can clearly see the regret on her gorgeous eyes, and I don't want her to feel that way. The truth of the matter, though, I am not noble enough to let her go and fall into another man's arms, a man she does not love at that, just so she can feel at peace. Of course she denies regretting making love all day. How can I be sure of her feelings for me? I've never trusted women before, not after the way I saw how they could manipulate and poison a man against his own family.

But Roza is not like that. Since the day I met her five years ago, her wide eyes showed me she possesses a caring, loving, fiery soul. There's no malice in her heart; if she hates, she has a reason for such emotions and even so, I am now sure she can love more passionately than she can hate. And I finally realize what a fool I have been denying the violence of my feelings for her for far too long. More importantly, how could I ever consider asking her to give up her life for me? There is no life without her. And if I have to die, so she can live, even without me, so be it.

Watching her sleep, I cannot believe my luck. How can an angel love a demon? When did the beauty fall for the beast? Tentatively, I reach out for her unruly yet beautiful hair all over her face. I move the silky strands out of the way to have a better view of her lips. Oh, those luscious lips that were once wrapped around me, driving me wild like no woman has ever done. Her lips curve up in a small, unconscious smile I hope is of joy at being in my arms. I shift closer delighted at how her body fits so perfectly with mine. Who could have predicted this perfect moment?

"I did," Babushka calls out quietly from the corner.

I turn grimacing at the sudden movement, hoping I have not woken Roza. Babushka laughs a throaty laugh and pushes herself away from the wall. She holds onto a cane.

"She will not wake for some time," she explains jerking her chin in the direction of Roza's sleeping form wrapped around the sheets and myself. "I made sure of that." She grins knowingly and makes her way to the foot of the bed.

"This is a rather unpleasant and unwanted visit from you, Babushka. I doubt any grown man likes his grandmother waltzing into his chamber while he is with his lady."

"His lady?" She arches her left eyebrow. Of course I learned it from her, who else? "She has changed you."

"That was what you hoped for, was it not?" I counterattack while gazing awestruckly at my Roza. She has changed me and all for the best. I didn't remember what being human meant, hope became foreign to me after two centuries, and then she waltzes into my life bringing light and love I have not felt since the day Vika was born.

"Yes," the joy in her voice drags my attention back to her. "I hoped I would see the day when my Dimka would learn not all women are snakes. Of course this one is being daughter of zmey. But never mind that little detail. She is good for you. You better be good to her." With that she turns to leave.

"Wait, what about the curse? Is it broken?" My voice cracks unpleasantly at the end, but the thought of Roza dying just so I can be free makes my stomach churn with dread and despair. "She loves me. I love her. That ought to break the curse."

Babushka sighs and shakes her head sadly. "Love will claim the life of the Beauty to set the Beast free," she recites her version of Rhonda's curse. "Those are the terms of the curse. I am sorry, Dimka. She still has to give her life for you."

My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach, my throat shuts off, and I struggle for air as I gaze distraughtly at my only love. She cannot die. How will I survive her death? I simply won't. "Change the curse, please. Change it back to how it was. Let me die for her." I turn my eyes to Babushka pleading with all my might that she will take mercy, if not on me then on Roza, who is innocent in all of this. I am the cursed one, not her.

Babushka shakes her head. "I cannot..."

"Why did you do it?" I cut her off angrily rising from the bed ignoring my nakedness. "Why did you let me love her when I will have to lose her? Forget me! Forget all I have done, my mistakes. She has nothing to do with this! Free her!" I demand fisting my hands at my sides. As she promised, Roza does not wake despite my shouting.

"I cannot," Babushka repeats with a knowing glint in her eyes. "Look at me, Dimka." I do. Her hand gripping the cane is shaking, her figure looks feeble, breakable and her skin is a deathly white. She is not the strong woman I know. "I am weak. My time to leave this world has come. I do not have the energy, as much as I want to, and believe me I do, to free you both." That knowing glint flashes brightly becoming the only sign of life in her dying body. "This is not about you anymore, Dimka. Your lesson has been learned. Bigger and scarier things are coming and when they come, you will be for once grateful of your curse. I can only tell you that the curse will be broken." Her eyes flicker to Roza, who is stirring in the bed calling my name softly. "Your beauty awakens. Be good to her, my dear boy. Live a happy life; God knows you deserve it, and thank you for saving Olena and the girls. Oh, and I know for a fact Alberta is very proud of you." With a wink, Babushka disappears. One second she is there, I blink and she is gone. I couldn't say goodbye to her. She is the last family I have left; I have the feeling though that I will see her once more.

"Dimitri?" Roza's sweet voice calls out my name with worry and longing. "Where are you going?"

Before turning around, I compose myself hiding all my emotions behind an easy smile. Roza can't know about the curse. Or what Babushka has just said. I will discuss this with Mason and Ivan first. "Nowhere, but soon we must get ready for the burial tonight." I reply sinking back into bed with her.

Her eyes soften and she reaches out for my mouth, her fingers stroke the corners gently. "I do not like it when you are sad."

My Roza, she knows me so well. Not so well I hope, otherwise she will see how I am far more saddened by the thought of her dying. If Roza knows me, I know her better. She tends to put her life at risk for those she loves, and if today's activities are any indication of her love for me, I am quite sure I am now among those she will risk herself for. Stay this way, Mason said. Bite her. None of the options are appealing. I stay this way, Rose is mortal and she will eventually die. I bite her, and she will be doomed to hell like me. She dies to free me, and I am lost without her. There has to be another way, but Babushka has been nothing but cryptic, as always.

"Dimitri?" Her fingertips on my chest bring me out of my reverie. "Where did you go?" She teases moving closer to kiss my neck.

"Thinking of tonight," my words come out in gasps as her wicked lips leave a trail of kisses along my neck and jaw.

Abruptly, she stops and looks up at me with sadness clouding her beautiful eyes. "I am sorry. I still feel so guilt ridden..."

"Stop," I command pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Alberta's death is not your fault." I make sure to emphasize each word hoping to get through her stubborn head. "If we want to blame someone..."

"Not you," she protests as that fire I love flashes in her eyes. "You are not to blame either."

"I was going to say Isaiah." I grin and kiss her lips. "I love how much you love me."

"I love how much I love you," she replies smiling against my lips. "We will kill him, will we not?" Her eyes become intense and eager for revenge, no doubt.

"I keep my promises, Roza," I reply meeting her eyes displaying how much I want my revenge too. "I promised his head to you. This is not only for you but also for Alberta. Isaiah's time is coming."

"I am so hot for you right now," she says through her teeth lacing her hands behind my neck. "Sorry. I ruined the moment with my lust."

"I love your lust," I grin wickedly as my eyes roam over her naked chest. "We do not have to be ready for a few hours. Fiftieth round?"

She throws her head back and laughs. I always want to make her laugh. "Please!"

We awake to Mason's constant knocking. That boy is worse than a puppy. Of course he could be considered one. Rose groans and buries her face in the crook of my neck. "Make him go away, or I will use my swords to cut his balls." She mumbles sleepily, failing to sound threatening. However, with Rose, one never knows.

"Go away, Mason," I call out softly, resting my cheek against her hair breathing in her scent: roses, sweat and sex, trailing my fingers over her exposed flesh. The touch never fails to send a shock through my body, and I notice a blush creep into her skin.

Mason clears his throat to cover his amusement. "I just want to know if you are done." I can picture the mocking smile on his lips. "Is it safe for our ears to come back inside? Rose is not going to damage my hearing, is she?" He chuckles, and Ivan smacks the back of his head.

"Respect, Mason." Ivan growls.

"Fuck, that hurt. Maybe you need to get fucked too and take the edge off you. I think it worked for Dimitri."

"I am going to murder both of you if you do not disappear where I cannot hear your bickering!" Rose snaps lifting her head from its place.

There is a pause, and I try not to groan as I can hear the wheels of Mason's head turning, coming up with a comeback that will, without a doubt, piss Rose off.

"You are losing your touch, man," Mason snickers. "Your sex was no good if Rose is still bossy."

"Fuck you, Mason," Rose just rolls her eyes and returns her head to my shoulder.

"I accept the offer!" Mason shouts a little too eagerly for my liking.

"Enough," I chastise pinching the bridge of my nose. "What is it, Mason?"

He clears his throat again and when he speaks his tone is void of teasing and full of seriousness. "Everything is ready. We are waiting for you and Rose."

"We will be down soon. Send Sydney with clothes and warm water for a bath." I command, shaking Rose's shoulder gently.

"Right away, sir." Mason and Ivan's footsteps move away soon enough.

"Roza, it is time."

"Okay," she complies sitting up on the bed and yawning hugely.

"Tired, my love?" I say, running my index finger down her spine then back up. She shivers and turns to look at me, her eyes dark with lust.

"Not tired enough," she replies jumping over me, straddling my waist; her hips move back and forth, and I immediately go hard as a rock, aching for her. Her teeth graze my chin, then move up to bite my lower lip hard. With a sharp intake of breath, I flip us over, so she lies on her back with me between her legs.

"You are insatiable," I breathe against her left breast just above her nipple. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Fuck me until I am hoarse," she replies, gasping as I dart my tongue out teasing her nipple. "You also promised that and as I am not hoarse yet..." She trails off giving way for a moan that makes my cock throb with desire while my fingers stroke her clit.

"You are already so wet. Is it for me?"

"For you," she whimpers.

Before we go any further, a timid knock sends Roza flying to the opposite side of the bed, clearly mortified by the compromising situation we were in. I probably shouldn't mention that, in fact, the entire pack heard her screams and moans, so there's nothing to hide. With a chuckle, I call for Sydney to come in.

"Good evening, milord. Lady Mazur." She greets politely, averting her eyes from the bed.

"Good evening, Sydney," I reply nodding towards the bath. "Water for two?"

"Yes, milord." She disappears through the pillars and down the hall.

"I think she has feelings for you," Roza says, clutching the sheets to her chest and frowning in the direction Sydney disappeared.

"Jealous, milady?" I grin wickedly and move closer to her hoping the answer is yes.

Roza snorts. "You are mine." Is all she says and for a second I wonder if I should tell her that she and Sydney once shared the same man: Ivashkov. I do not see a point in doing so. Instead, I grab her hand and kiss it.

"Yes, I am. All of me belongs to you. The same goes for you." I grab the back of her neck and pull her in for a searing kiss. "You are mine." I growl possessively.

"Yours," she says back with joy.

"Bath is ready, milord." Sydney calls out moving quietly out of the room.

"She has feelings for you," Rose says in a singsong voice, getting up from the bed.

"Sydney is simply grateful that I saved her from Isaiah's clutches." I dismiss her words and again wonder if she should know about who Sydney truly holds feelings for.

"Can you save Eddie?" She turns to look at me, pleading, interrupting my musings. "That is what I wanted to ask you. Please save him." Her face contorts with pain as she thinks of the rogue that could have killed her.

My eyes travel down her grief stricken face to her shoulders where the wounds have bled a little after all we've done. For a second, I chastise myself for my carelessness. We shouldn't have made love when she's injured. But I doubt neither of us would have been able to stop, not that we wanted to. Then, the anger ripples through me. Anyone that dares hurt my Roza will not live to see another day.

"I will try," I concede to her request though, because I can see and hear in her voice how much she cares for the rogue. "He is important to you." The jealousy is audible in my voice, and I pray Roza doesn't hear it. She seems absorbed in her relief, though.

Roza nods, then sighs deeply. I try not to dwell on how her breasts move with the action. "Eddie is like a brother to me. We were brought up together by my mother. Of course, with different treatments, but he has always been there."

I nod in understanding and pick her up in my arms then make my way to the tub filled with steaming water. "Lord Ozera?" Curiosity of her past before and after we met begins to set in.

She smiles fondly while I scrub her back gently with a wet cloth. "Christian was also raised with us. His family stayed for a couple of years in Istanbul. The three of us were a menace," she chuckles, and I love the happiness in her voice as she recalls the past. "I remember Christian set fire to one of the stables. Eddie jumped to take the blame, but I knew he would be severely punished. I took the fall for them. Being my father's daughter, no one questioned the legitimacy of my words."

"What happened to you?" I ask while I scrub between her breasts.

She shrugs, her breathing beginning to pick up at my touch. "Nothing. A few tears and pouts, and my father melted. My mother was different. She began to keep a tight leash on me afraid I would get myself killed." Her voice breaks a little as she recalls the memory of her mother.

Desperate to distract her, I recall a tale Mason once told me a long time. "Was that before or after you almost broke your neck playing on the roof of said stables?" A growl escapes my lips as I conjure the image of Roza with her neck twisted at an unnatural angle, her eyes full of life staring at the heavens empty. So much for distracting her. However, she begins to chuckle and the vibrations do wonderful things to our bodies.

She clears her throat focusing on the conversation as I turn her around and kneel at her feet. "Mason told you. That was before. Lissa and I were not playing on the roof per se. The thing about Lissa is that she is far more…" she pauses as I lightly press the cloth to her thighs, erasing all evidence of our lovemaking. "Are you trying to distract me, Comrade?"

"Not at all," my lips twitch with a smile and purposely move ever so slowly between her folds with the cloth. "Continue."

With labored breathing, she does. "She is more compassionate and loving than me, especially toward animals. That day she swore up and down there was an injured raven on the roof. Her eyes filled with tears when I told her there was nothing we could do. Because I did not want her to cry, I climbed up there. Indeed, there was a raven with a broken wing. As I moved closer to it, my foot slipped, and I fell. There was a scary snapping sound as I hit the ground, and I heard Lissa choke on a scream. For a couple of seconds, I felt nothing. I could only hear Lissa's sobbing and the soothing voice of a woman in my head that said: 'I have plans for you, Rosemarie. You are important. There are lives that need to be saved.' " She shrugs. "I got up like nothing had happened with just a nagging ache around my neck. By then, my mother had heard Lissa's cries, and the situation was exaggerated. Since then, I just feel when people are going to die. Like Sonya. I got a weird feeling with Alberta when she did not heal that is why…" She tails off. "I am sorry."

Somewhere during her story, I had stopped cleaning her and could only stare at her in awe but also anger. My Roza has no regard for her safety. Risking her life to please a friend. Does her recklessness have limits? Obviously not, for she stands before me. She traded her life for Ivashkov despite the way she felt about me at the start of our trip. Ignoring her last part, because it is best not to dwell on the fact that my aunt was sentenced to death long ago, I submerge the cloth in the water.

"You better not pull stunts like those again," I reply, resuming the cleaning and glaring up at her.

She snorts and runs her fingers through my hair. "Of course not, Comrade. I am more skilled at climbing now. I will not be slipping again." She winks, stepping away from me and lowering herself into the steaming tub. "Come join me."

I do not need to be asked twice and slip into the tub next to her splashing water everywhere. Her legs are spread wide welcoming me home. Trying not to crush her, I lean forward to kiss her innocently. Our lips move slowly with no rush, simply savoring the feeling of our love pumping our hearts in sync. The desire soon begins to build and our kissing becomes more desperate and fervent. Her hands get tangled in my hair while my mouth devours hers and my hands roam all over her body. She arches her back and moans when I slip two fingers inside her.

"Turn around," I growl commandingly after several minutes of eliciting the most beautiful sounds from her with my fingers. She gasps when I remove my fingers from her but doesn't hesitate to turn and kneel in the tub exposing her delightful ass to me. We both inhale sharply as my hands simply caress her bottom. Without warning, I push inside her causing her to cry out and grip the edge of the tub with both hands.

"Fuck. Me." She says through her teeth as I still inside her with both of my hands cupping her breasts.

"That is what I plan to do, Roza," I tug at her earlobe before pulling out completely. In those seconds, I feel empty without her around me. When I ease back in, we are co

mplete again. And so I pound in and out without any reservations. Roza begins with silent moans that slowly build into growls then full out screams. "Shout my name." I growl in her ear as I keep my right hand on her breast, my index finger and thumb tugging at her nipple mercilessly and my left hand between her folds stroking her nub. "Shout my name, Roza."

"Dimitri! Dimitri!" She shouts over and over again as I pound away with my hands stimulating her, both of us climbing higher and higher. Soon enough, she clenches and unclenches around me and continues to scream my name causing my own undoing. As we come down from our high, Roza looks over her shoulder seeking my lips. Despite being out of breath, we kiss until our heads swim with the lack of oxygen and collapse against each other. "I am starting to go hoarse." She comments against my lips.

Both of us laugh. "And I am not done with you yet." I reply before taking her lower lip between my teeth producing a moan to rip from her throat. No, nowhere near done with her, and I never will. I will never get enough of my Roza.


	30. Goodbye

**Hey, guys! ComradeInLOVE again. As I told you yesterday, here it is! Hope you enjoy it. The next one will be ready soon :) Thanks for the reviews. Monse loves them, and so do I :D We're working non-stop to have the chapters ready so you can read them as soon as possible. I think we're doing great, don't you? 2 days, 2 chapters. Enjoy, guys :)**

**To Brittday20, you're welcome, again! And to roza m belicova, who doesn't? ;) **

**AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I am forever in debt with my beta, **ComradeInLOVE**, for all that she does! And now, enjoy more cuteness before shit hits the fan!**

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_Rose_

Walking on a rainbow. That is the only way to describe my absolute bliss right now. Sure, it is an absurd way to describe such happiness, and that still does not begin to describe it, but I cannot think of other ways to do so. Dimitri has filled me with such joy that I can hardly wipe the grin off my face as we finally emerge from the bathroom. After a couple more rounds in the tub, Dimitri, who has far more self-control than I could ever muster, put a stop to our fucking and lovemaking, because we did both. We do need to attend a ceremony. When we step into the room, I notice the bed sheets have been removed and replaced by red, silky ones. I blush a little just thinking of Sydney washing them and seeing that I have lost my innocence. I shake my head and hold my head high. There is no need to be embarrassed that I have given myself to Dimitri; with anyone else it would have been simply wrong. And perhaps far less satisfying because my Russian is an excellent lover; my sore throat and aching muscles are proof of such.

"You need to dress, my love." He wraps his strong arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. "Before I have my way with you once more."

"Please, do," my right hand moves up to stroke his hair while I smile like a fool.

"Roza," he chastises gently, leaving open mouthed kisses along my shoulder.

"I know. I just cannot believe all this happiness." I frown. "I feel like there is something… Wrong. There is… I cannot explain it. I have this feeling in my gut that behind all of this happiness and love, something dark and terrible is coming."

He stands stiffly behind me with his arms gripping me tighter. Several times, he opens and closes his mouth as if choosing his words. My heart sinks to the floor just imagining what terrible thing is going to come out of his mouth. He is going to say something that will shatter this fantasy, and the pain will cut right through me like my sword cuts through the evil's flesh. My stomach heaves as I wait anxiously for him to cut the crap and tell me everything.

"We must dress, my love. We are late." He says calmly and places a kiss on my forehead before making his way to the bed where our clothes have been laid out.

It doesn't escape me that he turned quickly away from me, not giving me a chance to look into his eyes and decipher whether he is as calm as he sounds. And maybe I am selfish, maybe I am afraid, I would be a fool not to be afraid that this could end at any moment because it could with the confrontation of Isaiah and Adrian hanging over my head, but I do not push him. I do not demand answers because I want this happiness to last a little longer. And even when the pain of reality hits me, I will endure it for all I have lived today would have been worth it.

"Very well," I concede placing a kiss between his bare shoulder blades. Maybe I imagine it, but he relaxes significantly when I don't push him further. Could whatever secret he is hiding be so terrible? I push those thoughts aside and concentrate on the fact that tonight we are saying goodbye to Alberta.

"Why white?" I ask with a frown as I look down at myself wearing the dress Dimitri just bought for me. "You do not wear black to ceremony?"

He shakes his head as his eyes roam over my body appreciatively. "We celebrate life, not death. And black does not go along with a celebration. Ready, milady?" He extends his arm out for me, and I take it lacing my hand through his arm.

"You look handsome," I tell him as we descend the stairs. And so he does. He is wearing a long-sleeved chemise with laces at the front. A bit of his chest is exposed, and I resist the urge to lick that bare flesh showing. His pants are silk and also white. On top of that, of course, is his duster with his hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck.

"Not as handsome as you, my love." He lets go of my arm and descends one more step before turning to look at me. "You are absolutely breathtaking. Alberta would have loved to see you in that, but in our wedding day."

My breath catches in my throat. "Wedding?" Marry Dimitri? Become Lady Belikova? Do I want that? Yes, I want it desperately. His eyes dance with love glinting under the bright Moon. For a moment, I swear he is going to kneel and ask me to marry him, and I will burst with happiness. Instead, he bows and leaves a tender kiss on my hand.

"When all of this is sorted," he does not need to tell me what '_this' _entitles, for I already know. Isaiah. Adrian. The curse. "We will talk more, milady. Just know that there isn't and will not be another woman that I will want to spend my life with." With a last kiss to my hand, we descend the rest of the stairs with my heart hammering in my chest just thinking of the day we might wed.

All those thoughts are pushed aside as we enter a huge ballroom to the right of the foyer. We enter through double mahogany doors with a wolf carved into them. How did I miss this? Well, considering I came in practically kicking and screaming and have done nothing but be an ungrateful bitch, I haven't done much exploring. I make a mental reminder to do so in the morning. Inside the ballroom, the biggest freaking chandelier I have ever seen hangs on the ceiling with a thousand candles lit. What is with the Belikovs and chandeliers? A roaring fireplace in the center of the room causes the shadows of the multitude to look awfully terrifying. But everyone is smiling, chatting and laughing at old tales that the eerie feeling goes away. And I can almost forget this is a ceremony, a feast in memory of Alberta.

At the other end of the room, a huge table is set up with a feast upon it. Everything from roasted pig, turkey stew, bread, from apple to cranberry pies, watermelons, peppers and other things I do not recognize is there. All of it makes my mouth water, and the rumbling of my ravenous stomach chastises me for not feeding properly in days. If I continue this way, I will lose my enviable curves. Dimitri isn't unaware of my hunger.

"Come, let us feed you, my love. You must be famished after today's activities." He winks and chuckles wholeheartedly, keeping the palm of his right hand splayed on my lower back.

"You have no idea," I mutter as he steers me toward the table surrounded by a couple of members of the pack I do not know. However, they seem to know me, for they smile and bow mumbling briefs 'milady' or 'Lady Mazur.' "Everyone is so accepting after everything I have done." I comment when the crowd disperses giving Dimitri and me some privacy. "I do not understand. I would be tearing me apart."

Dimitri laughs and kisses my forehead. "Past mistakes are just that, past mistakes."

I frown at him. "You did not seem to think so a while ago. Not that I am not happy you are forgiving yourself…"

He shrugs and looks all around the room. When his eyes return to me, I can see he is in fact on the way to forgiving himself. The past is not torturing him. He is living in the present. That heavy sadness I used to see in him is practically gone replaced by joy despite the death of his aunt.

"It is all because of you, Roza. You have showed me that while I have done wrong in the past, committed atrocious acts, I cannot dwell on them. There is no reason to do so. Not if that prevents me from living my present and future with you. My beauty."

My chest tightens with such sweet words but mostly with the knowledge that Dimitri, my beast, is no longer a beast. Not that he ever was, but now he knows it. I hope I never see his eyes full of sadness, hatred, regret and pain. I hope to never hear his voice break as he recalls his tormenting past. Standing on my toes, I kiss his cheek chastely, but he, momentarily losing his control, grips my hips and captures my lips between his, eliciting a moan from me as his naughty hands slide down my ass and squeezes.

"Enough," I mumble against his lips. "I might take you on the table."

He chuckles. "No, Roza. _I _might take you on the table. You are the most appetizing little thing in this room." He leans against me and whispers his next words in my ear. "Remember, you are my favorite meal." He licks his lips, reminding me of earlier when he… I cut the thought short when my knees feel weak.

I clear my throat and look at the food as the blush creeps into my skin. "So, um, what is all of this? I recognize some of it…" All of it looks mouthwatering, but I want to know what is it I am eating, first. Of course, I don't discriminate when it comes to food. If it is edible, I am in! I point to some bread. "I know that is bread…"

"Black bread," Dimitri nods holding back an amused smile. Oh, he is smiling too much, and I love it. I hope he always smiles, and I am the cause of that. "It is traditional bread. Very delicious. Try it, my love." He slices a piece of the steaming bread and blows on it for a while, cooling it before popping it into my mouth. I make sure to wrap my lips around his fingers sucking him hard, reminding him of when… He crushes his lips to mine.

"Ty budesh' moyeysmerti," he mumbles against my lips. _You shall be the death of me. _"More?" He changes the subject, but I can feel the bulge in his pants growing as he pushes it against my belly.

I nod my head. As I chew, I can't help closing my eyes and moaning at how delicious the bread is. Of course, not as delicious as my Russian. "More." I beg even though I haven't swallowed completely.

"Do not make those sounds, Roza," Dimitri shakes his head as he slices another piece of bread into my mouth. "They do things to me."

"She has done things to you," Mason comes colliding against me. He sways a little and so do I as he has an arm around me. Dimitri growls at Mason's innuendo, and the way he sways dangerously with me. "Hey, I mean she has changed you for the better. Control your filthy, horny mind, Alpha."

"You have one second to disappear before…" Dimitri doesn't even finish his sentence and leaps toward Mason. For a drunkard, Mase moves quickly out of the way and runs. Of course, he is no match for my Russian God, who quickly catches Mason. "Who has a filthy, horny mind?" Dimitri asks with the amusement clearly written all over his face as he keeps Mason on a headlock and ruffles his already messy hair.

"Still you," Mason chokes out.

As they playfully wrestle, I pull up a chair and sit to enjoy the various foods while following the action closely. Mason doesn't even land a finger on Dimitri. My Russian is everywhere at once landing soft blows to Mason's ribs and some harder to his shoulders and parts that won't take forever to heal. This is playful after all. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor makes me turn away from Mason trying to leap onto Dimitri's back. Ivan lowers himself into the chair and sits with his back straight, chin up. For the first time in a long time, I see the Zeklos regality that none of the current family members hold. It is a pity, as Jesse Zeklos could learn a thing or two from Ivan.

"Fools," Ivan shakes his head, though I can see the amusement flicker in his eyes.

"Children," I add nodding my head. "What is this?" I ask curiously chewing on something thin but quite delicious.

"Blini." Ivan replies setting an empty goblet near me and pouring some clear liquid into it. "Since you are now Dimitri's lady and future Lady Belikova, you should assimilate Russian customs including its cuisine and beverages. Here, milady." A smug smile plays at the corners of his usually serious mouth. He, too, looks younger at the moment. Since I met him at Codrii Vlăsiei, Ivan hasn't really spoken to me, and I know it is because of the way I acted toward Dimitri and everyone else. I guess now that I am less of a bitch, he can have a conversation with me. Still, every time I would look at him, I saw that same heavy burden and sadness that Dimitri carried. How hard must it be to know that, because of his mother, Dimitri had to commit atrocious acts that led to his cursed life? More importantly, how hard must it have been to accept that his own mother was not a good human being?

"I am sorry about your mother," I say sincerely taking the goblet from him but not drinking yet. "I cannot fathom…"

"No, you cannot, milady," he says cutting me off and getting a faraway look in his eyes. "And I would not try if I were you. Such grisly matters should be unknown to a delicate rose like you."

"I am not delicate," the words come through my teeth, as I narrow my eyes on him.

"Pardon me, I have offended you. I simply mean I do not wish to burden you with the errors of my whore of a mother. Please, drink." Once again the corners of his mouth twitch in a smile he is working extremely hard to hold back.

"What is it?" I press my nose to the goblet to decipher its contents. It cannot be wine; there is a strange mixture of alcohol and peppers, or is it berries? Perhaps both?

"We call it Vodka. Drink. You will enjoy it." He insists gently pushing the goblet closer to me.

Shrugging, I bring the goblet to my lips just as Dimitri shouts. "No! Do not drink that!" But it is too late. I didn't consider the strength of the drink, and I just gulped the liquid down before, violently, spitting it all out across the table. And then, I'm coughing viciously barely able to breathe while Ivan and Mason are laughing uncontrollably, their faces red and tears streaming down their cheeks. Fucking bastards. They have poisoned me.

"I told you she would not handle it!" Ivan is saying while Mason can only hold his sides as the laughter shakes his body.

"I am going… to murder… you." I choke out through the coughing while Dimitri pats my back and holds my hair to the side.

"No, I will." Dimitri growls out, and I feel him stiffen next to me. The room has gone silent as the anger of the Alpha is smothering. I can feel it too. A coiling in my chest and stomach that has nothing to do with Dimitri moving in and out of me or his lips against mine. I feel like crawling to a corner in a fetal position and cry at the strength of his fury. "What were you thinking?" He emphasizes every word. His jaw twitches, and he gazes murderously at the two suddenly sober werewolves.

"They were not thinking," the words come out weirdly, so I clear my throat and try again. "They were not thinking. Why trick me, boys?" I send them an easy smile as I pour more of the clear liquid into my goblet. "Too pussy to challenge me?" Several members of the pack chuckle nervously and relieved at my attempt to lighten the mood again.

"Roza," Dimitri growls warningly putting his hand on top of the goblet before it touches my lips. "That is too strong for you. You cannot handle it."

And maybe the Vodka I managed to swallow has made me a bit drunk, but I suddenly feel bold enough to openly speak about my sexual affairs with Dimitri. "I thought I could not handle you. And look at me. You did not break me in half, Comrade." With a wink, I down the drink and this time I am able to handle the burning and strength of it. I meet Mason and Ivan's eyes. "Your turn."

Challenging two werewolves with stronger and better metabolisms and clearly more experience with Vodka turns out to be the worst thing I could do. They, of course, win holding down the drink while I struggle not to vomit all over the rest of the food. Dimitri is sitting next to me slowly drinking his own Vodka, clearly unaffected by its effects while Mason and Ivan are flirting with statues and armors that adorn the room.

"How do… How do you do it?" I gasp as the Vodka rises up my throat, burning again. "How do you hold it down?"

"I do not drink recklessly," he replies with a stern tone and shaking his head. He sighs at my stupidity and pours some dark brown liquid into another goblet. "Drink."

"No more strange drinks," I moan leaning my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes. "Please."

"This will make you feel better, Roza," his tone becomes gentle and soothing. My pathetic tone must have softened him up. "Drink, love."

I sigh and take a tentative sip of the strange liquid. Oddly enough, it is sweet and mild. In fact, I taste no alcohol, just honey, fruits and spices. "What is it?" I ask before taking a larger sip.

"Sbiten. The honey in it lowers the alcohol you have consumed. I hope you have learned your lesson, Roza." Despite the reprimand in his words, I can still hear the love in them.

I nod taking another sip. "I need to practice my drinking before challenging those assholes again." I glare at the two men now trying to coax Sydney and another girl into dancing.

"What am I going to do with you, Roza?" He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head helplessly. I grin and crawl onto his lap. He doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around me and grab my chin between his thumb and index.

"Love me," I suggest planting a small kiss on his lips as my hands wrap around his neck.

"I already do," he replies with a huge grin on his face.

In our own little world we spend half of the night, our arms wrapped around each other, looking into the other's eyes, and stealing chaste kisses. The other half, several people come near us speaking rapidly in Russian. Dimitri talks just as rapidly back, chuckling and adding details to a tale, for what I can tell. Every once in a while, he motions toward me with a wide smile on his lips and the love in his eyes melts me away. Slowly, thanks to the Sbiten and the lips of my Russian, the alcohol begins to fade, but not enough so that I can stand on my own. So Dimitri holds me tightly as later in the night we all head outside. Everyone is silent and solemn that I do not dare speak and question where we are going. For several minutes we walk through a maze with torches lighting our way. My question of our destination is soon answered when we reach the end of the immense maze and on top of a bed of rocks and hay lays a body covered in grey silk.

My throat starts to shut off with the sadness of seeing Alberta cold and unmoving again. Reality sets in again, and I can't help blaming myself for her death again. If I hadn't run away… If I had stayed and just joined Dimitri for dinner… If I hadn't been such a bitch… All the ifs I can come up with and none of them will bring her back. I just hope that wherever she is, she is happy that Dimitri and I are finally together. Everyone is silent, some are now sobbing and others just hang their heads praying.

"She hated when I acted like a wild animal," Mason begins in a quiet voice pausing for a second. He swallows loudly, then continues in a near perfect imitation of Alberta's angry voice. "'You are not an animal, Ashford! Chew with your Goddamn mouth closed!'"

Several people chuckle and nod their heads clearly recalling the time she said that to him. Another member of the pack recounts a tale in which Alberta showed her compassionate heart, her bravery, her understanding and loving nature. On and on, they all say their goodbyes; they emphasize how she was like a mother to them. And she will be greatly missed.

"She knew we were meant to be," I say resting my head on Dimitri's chest. "She knew it even before we did. Alberta just knew this has nothing to do with a witch. 'You complement each other. Dimka is far too composed, too guilt ridden to live, and while you carry your own burdens, you live passionately, Rose.' I did not believe her then. I bet she is now doing a little dance and saying 'I told you so.' "

"She did not like to dance," Dimitri recalls with a sad smile on his lips. He turns to kiss my forehead. "Thank you for your words. I know she cared for you."

I can only nod as the knot gets tighter and bigger, and I can't hold it back any longer. Maybe the Vodka is not out of my system yet, and maybe I am truly grief stricken, and I know it's both. The dam breaks, and I bury my face under Dimitri's arm. "And I was terrible to her! She tried to be good to me, and I just pushed her away. I resisted for so long, and just as we were finally getting along, she is gone. She made me feel less lonely; she provided a sense of motherly love. I am sorry…"

The torch leaves Dimitri's other hand, so he can wrap both arms around me, hiding me completely from sight. His duster muffles my cries but not the sounds around me. Everyone is crying now. We celebrated Alberta's life, we drank to her name, many counted amusing and beautiful tales, but damn it, what's the point of it all? She's gone.

"I swear, Roza," Dimitri says through his teeth holding me so tightly I can't breathe, but I don't mind it. "I swear the rogues will pay. I will tear them limb by limb. We will bathe in their blood; feed their flesh to rabid dogs. I will hang their heads along the walls of my castle! A life for a life…"

His words terrify me a little but at the same time comfort me. While I just want Dimitri to be happy always, the rogues have crossed a line. They crossed it ages ago, and it is time for revenge. None of us will rest easy knowing they are out there. One by one, the pack members throw their heads back and howl; a melancholic yet menacing sound. The breeze carries out the howling to unknown places where I hope the rogues are listening, and they know that we are coming. We are coming to make them pay for my mother, Alberta, Eddie, Daniella and Meredith Ivashkov, Jill and Rhea Dragomir… We are coming to rip their throats out.

"There is no place they can hide," I begin, my voice sounding not like mine at all. I step out of Dimitri's embrace and move closer to where Alberta lies, peacefully and eternally sleeping. "Nothing can save them now. Their blood is ours. Their dying howls will be the music we march to." I spin around to meet Dimitri's eyes, and I am surprised to see him take a small step back at the murderous and vengeful glint in my eyes. "They are already dead."

No one says a word. The wind keeps blowing, the leaves rustle, the flames of the torches cackle, but the pack members remain stoic and silent.

"Fuck," Mason whispers breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I think I just pissed myself. I have never been more terrified and turned on at the same time in my life, Rose. Dimitri, mind if I…"

"Mine," Dimitri growls gripping my arms and planting a searing, bruising kiss on my lips. "My deadly huntress. All mine." Eventually he releases my arms and holds my face gently with both of his hands. When we finally break apart for air, I can see his pupils dilate with what can only be desire. "You are perfect." He murmurs before interlacing our fingers.

Mason hands Dimitri back his torch, and since I am still reeling from the kiss, my Russian tugs me along, getting still closer to Alberta's covered body upon the rocks and hay. He stops and stares down at her body; his emotionless mask slips showing the pain and grief he feels. There's no more lightness, love, or desire in his eyes anymore. There's only anger and despair. I give his hand a tight yet gentle squeeze to remind him that I'm here, that I support him, and he is not alone. He notices the gesture and turns to look down at me. I nod my head and give his hand another gentle squeeze. That seems to be all he needs to send his aunt to her final resting place. He places the torch on top of her body, and the hay lights up like the Sun, turning Alberta's body into ashes in a matter of seconds.

"I will miss you," Dimitri whispers as he watches the flames dance. "You always knew what to say; I did not go mad with rage, with self-loathing thanks to you. I am who I am because of you. And now you." He turns to me, and slowly traces my lower lip with his index finger. "I love you, Roza."

"I lo-" I don't have time to proclaim my love for him because he crushes his lips to mine and pulls me up in his arms.

He collapses on top of me several hours later. His breathing is labored, and we are both covered in sweat. Trying to catch my breathing, I stroke his hair as his hot breath tickles my collarbone. We remain silent, recovering from the previous activities. He calls me insatiable, but my Russian has his moments, too. I tried several times to get him to talk to me about Alberta, to work through his grief, but he just silenced me with his kisses or skilled tongue.

"Do you want to talk about her?" Once I can speak without breathing heavily, I take advantage of his stillness.

When he doesn't reply, I almost believe he has fallen asleep, but his fingers begin to form patterns on my shoulder. "No, Roza. I do not want to talk. I just want to love you."

So I let him love me. And I love him in return.

_Dimitri_

My Roza lies on her belly, hugging the pillow, her limbs tangled in the sheets, and snoring softly. I chuckle quietly enough not to wake her, for this time I am the one who wore her out. After saying goodbye to my aunt, I did not want to feel the grief and pain of losing her. I just wanted to love my Roza; I wanted to feel her lips on mine, our limbs intertwining, and flesh against flesh. Gently, I remove a strand of wild hair from her face. She mumbles something in Turkish then smiles. I could simply stare at her all day. My Roza is always breathtaking whether covered in blood of her enemies, dirt or the sweet sweat of our lovemaking; she is always the most beautiful angel I have ever laid eyes upon. And she is mine. I don't know for how long, but she is mine. With that unsettling thought, I slowly climb out of bed and throw last night's clothes on.

After one last look at my sleeping beauty, I shut the door quietly and head down the hall to my study. Two centuries waiting and looking for her to come along and save me. Now that she has, I am going to lose her. Life without Roza is no life. I refuse to live without her. Babushka may not be able to help anymore, but there has to be another way. I can't give up. I won't give up on her.

When I open the door to my study, Mason and Ivan are already waiting for me. Mason sits across the oak table, hands over his face as he groans at the hammering in his head. Ivan is clearly having a bad time as well, but he hides it better and stands stoically looking out the window at the others already working on rebuilding the houses. I slam the door shut on purpose, causing Mason to jump fifty feet in the air.

"Are you all right, Mason?" I ask frowning and feigning worry.

"No, my bloody head is about to explode." He moans taking a seat in one of the sofas.

"Oh, poor pup. Maybe that will teach you and Ivan to never screw with Roza." I say calmly but making as much noise as I can. "The stunt of last night…"

"Lighten up. She is a huntress; if she can handle you and the rogues, she can handle a little vodka." Mason waves his hand in the air dismissively, groaning at the pain in his temples.

I hate to admit, but the pup is right. If Rose can handle my brute behavior over the past few weeks and the rogues the other night, she can handle anything. Another reason why I love her. There's nothing she can't do. She turns her pain and grief into passion, into a mission, a reason to live.

"Roza?" Ivan raises his eyebrows at my pet name for Rose, but I can see that my old friend is genuinely happy for me. "What happened to Red?" He sits next to Mason and stares at me expectantly.

"I will never address her as such after Isaiah tainted it with his scorn and hatred." The thought of Isaiah doing all those things he promised to Rose makes me see red. I take a deep breath before I start shaking in anger and do something harsh like hunt the bastard down right now. I promised Rose we would find the rogues together, and together we could take them down. "I do not want to talk about Isaiah. Not yet. I received a visit from Babushka. Last night."

Mason and Ivan sit up straighter at the mention of my grandmother. "Is the curse broken?"

"No." I pause and this time, I am the one suffering from a severe headache. "Rose… She… has to die. For me. For us. I cannot let that happen to Roza. She…"

"Was born for this." Ivan cuts me off. "Rhonda predicted she would save you…"

"That does not mean her only purpose in life is to die for Dimitri," Mason protests fervently, forgetting his headache. I can only stare dumbfounded at Ivan. How can he say such a thing? Does he not see how much Rose means to me, and if she dies, I die too? "She was not born to die. She was born to live and love Dimitri." Mason turns to me. "Tell me Yeva has a solution. Tell me she is going to change the curse."

I pause and stare at Mason, my right hand man, and Ivan, my friend since infancy, and wonder how to break it down to them. I decide to get it over with, no beating around the bush. The news is not going to please either of them. Hopefully, they will stick by me and Rose as we figure this out. "Babushka is dying; if she is not already dead. She has no solution. There is no strength in her left to cast another curse. But Rose is not dying. I will not allow it. We will find another way. Another witch. There are rumors of a strong witch in Vienna."

"Vienna, Austria?" Ivan sighs and stands up. He begins to pace back and forth watching the Sun rise higher and higher in the horizon. "Rumors of the return of the Belikov line are already circulating all over Russia. How long do you think it will take before the Ivashkovs, Mazurs, Dragomirs, Ozeras and even Zeklos come for you? Before we are under attack. You cannot simply take off to find a witch that you know despite her strength will not risk changing your curse."

"Why not? Dimitri will pay her with more gold than she will ever see in her thousand years of life. And no one will dare challenge us. They know what we are." Mason snorts.

"Witches do not meddle in each other's magic. It drives them insane; am I wrong Dimitri? The only reason Yeva even dare change your curse is because she shares the same blood as Rhonda. Besides, in Novosibirsk they already know we are weak, even if they think it is a wild story, a rumor. But it is true. That is why Alberta is dead." Ivan stops his pacing and turns to look pleadingly at me. "Do not make this harder than it has to be. You know what must be done, Dimitri. Two centuries we waited. We will not wait more."

"We?" Mason fists his hands and stands up to meet Ivan's eyes. "I think you are only speaking for yourself, Ivan. The other pack members are just happy to be home. We will wait as long as it takes for Dimitri and Rose to find another witch. Rose is not dying. The answer is simple! Dimitri, you have to bite her."

"Bite her? And what will happen to us?" Ivan steps towards Mason both of them radiating fury. I can tell a fight is about to break out.

"Enough," I say tiredly but with authority. "Ivan is right. The witch will not meddle with my curse. No matter how much gold I give her." I feel shattered uttering those words. More than that, I feel weak and like a failure because I am both of those things. I am not strong enough to fight the curse, and I have failed Roza. I have failed us.

"That is it?" Mason shakes his head as his voice is thick with disgust. "You are giving up on the best damn thing that has ever happened to you in two centuries? I never thought I would say this, but you are a coward, Dimitri. You are weak."

"I do not see another way!" I slam my fists on the table and push myself up, knocking the chair over. "No witch will want to help. They know the consequences of what I will ask them to do: insanity." I pause taking a deep breath and running my hand through my hair. There is no point in resisting. The answer is right in front of me. "Rose will understand. She loves me and all of you. She will take the bite."


	31. Intruder

**AN: Forever grateful to have lovely readers like y'all. Thank you for R&R! Lastly, a brief message from my lovely beta, Romi: she wishes to apologize for the delay of this update, but things have been very hectic for her. But she is back on a roll and ready to take any heat from y'all. However, I know y'all love her because she's just wonderful and already working extremely hard on the next chapter at this very moment! :D**

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_Dimitri_

Mason and Ivan stare open mouthed at me with their eyes wide unable to believe the words that just came out of my mouth. Clearly, they are questioning my sanity, but I don't have time for questions or doubts. If I'm going through with this, I need to act now before I change my mind and fail Roza again. This is the only way we can be together. All other options are impossible. No witch will dare meddle with magic that is not her own. I refuse to allow Roza to die for the pack and me. Turning her into one of us ensures that we stay together forever. Eternity with Roza is my heaven. Before my resolve falters, I stride purposefully toward the door to find Roza and ask her if she wants to spend forever with me.

"You cannot be serious," Mason and Ivan shout at the same time when my hand reaches for the door handle.

I turn slowly to face them. My expression must answer their question because Mason grins and claps his hands together while Ivan sighs defeated lowering his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"This is great! Rosie will be one of us! I can teach her how to hunt, we can race each other…" Mason goes on and on excitedly about all the things he can share with Rose.

"She is just a woman," Ivan says through his teeth barely audible but enough to stop Mason's happy ranting. When Ivan looks up at me, I see a hint of red in his eyes that chills me to the bone. Is he trying to defy me? To break away? "You are willing to doom us all for a woman! How is she any different from all the whores you have had? She is just another wh-"

Before he even finishes, I roar and launch myself at his throat forgetting my concern that he might just turn into a rogue. Our bodies collide with enough force to knock us to the ground. On our way down, we break several chairs and crush a mahogany table as I snarl at him with my fingers crushing his throat. The hint of red in his eyes is gone and his crystal clear blue eyes stare up at me with shock and fear. Good, he knows I'm still in charge.

"You have been my friend since infancy, Ivan," I say through my teeth trying to hold back all of my anger, otherwise I might just rip him to shreds right now. "Do not make me kill you. Do not _ever_ insinuate Rose is a whore, or I will rip your tongue out and hang you by the front gates with your own entrails. I am still your Alpha. You will do well to remember so."

I let go of Ivan and stand up dusting myself off as he begins to cough violently. Mason stands not so far away from us watching us carefully. He knows I had to assert my place as leader of the pack, as Ivan's Alpha, but Mason is near enough to stop us if a fight were to break out. With a nod in Mason's direction, I begin to pace glaring every once in a while at Ivan as he struggles to learn to breathe again.

"I let you get away with your earlier comments about Rose being born to die. I let you get away with insinuating she is at fault for our weakness and the death of Alberta. I will not let you get away with insulting her."

"You swore to never fall in love with her!" Ivan shouts his voice breaking at the end. "I am genuinely happy that she has lifted such a heavy burden off your shoulders, but you have known for a while what had to happen; and you still fell for her?"

"It was not in my power, Ivan! There are things not even I can stop. This is one of them. I love her, and I have loved her for two centuries." I rub my face tiredly with my hands then turn to look at Mason and Ivan pleadingly. "I do not know what to do anymore." I lower myself defeated onto the ground with my elbows resting on my knees. "If she dies, I die as well."

They don't say anything as they watch me broken for the first time in centuries. I have not truly shown the heaviness of my exhaustion, which sometimes threatens to break my knees. The last time I showed them exactly how broken I was over being cursed was when I heard Vika had died of an illness, and I wasn't there to say goodbye, to ask forgiveness. I am tired, beyond so, to keep pretending nothing breaks me. The death of my Roza will, and this time, I won't recuperate from such loss.

"Dimitri…" Mason begins but stops when the door slowly opens. "Good morning, milady." He plasters on a grin that doesn't quite reach his eyes as he greets Roza.

I know it's her because I smell her scent of roses, honey and lavender. She must have bathed. I close my eyes taking deep breaths letting my nostrils fill with her sweet smell. Her presence does wonders to calm me down and not dwell on the fact that our love has been doomed to end from the very beginning. Slipping an easy smile on my lips, I slowly turn to face her. What I see takes my breath away. She is wearing a floor length, velvet dress with long sleeves and rose pattern on the skirt. The low neckline doesn't expose her delightful breasts too much, thank God, I don't need to blind every man on Earth. The dress hugs her body, clinging to her curves like a second skin. Her hair falls freely in her natural curls all the way to her lower back. All in all, my Roza looks unreal.

"Good morning," she replies to Mason quietly with a frown on her face as she takes in the sight before her. "I woke this morning and… What the hell happened here?"

Ignoring her question, I move slowly towards her with a predatory smile on my lips. "Good morning, Roza. You look delightful." I take her right hand and bow down to press a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Sleep well?"

She narrows her eyes and her jaw twitches a little. "Do not attempt to distract me, Comrade. I want to know what the hell happened here." She motions with her free hand to the room in chaos. No one says a thing for a while. Rose's body begins to tense up, and I can see in her eyes how she's coming up with different scenarios, all bad.

"You know us," Mason snorts playfully. "We play too rough." He shrugs and smiles easily.

Ivan nods then clears his throat. "I must see to the progress of…" He trails off and after bowing slightly to Rose, he exists without meeting my eyes.

"Is Ivan all right?" Rose asks clearly not buying for one second that we were just playing around.

"He needs to get fucked," is all Mason says with a playful smirk before excusing himself from the room.

And now, I am left to deal with the deadly huntress alone. We stand in uncomfortable silence, my hand still holding hers lightly. Roza looks me over, no doubt trying to figure out if I have been hurt 'playing rough' with Ivan and Mason. As her eyes travel up my face, I smile easily and do my best to hide the sorrow and helplessness in my eyes. It's not so hard, for I look at her, and all I see is the love of my life, my soul mate, the woman I have waited for so long. With the back of my free hand, I caress her cheek and lean forward to press my lips to hers. Immediately, her lips set in a hard line soften and kiss me back just as gently. The kiss begins to heat up until our tongues are massaging each other, and our hands explore. We will never be done exploring each other's bodies.

"Will you ever tell me everything?" Roza says against my lips when we finally break apart for air. Her words break my heart, and it's a struggle not to break down again.

"I tell you everything," I give her lips a quick peck before leading her towards my desk. I take a seat on my chair and pull her down on my lap.

"No," she shakes her head in emphasis as her hands encircle my neck. "You ran out when I asked you if there was another way to break the curse."

I sigh rubbing her arms still wrapped around me. My Roza is stubborn; she will not give up until she has all her answers. "I said no, remember? There is no way to break the curse."

"There has to be," she frowns looking out the window at the Sun high in the sky. "Why did you run out then?" She turns to look back at me tilting her head to the side curiously.

"I was afraid," I admit after a couple of seconds of simply looking at her, unable to believe how far we have come from stolen kisses, forbidden touches, to freely expressing our love. "I was afraid because at that moment I realized that I love you."

She shakes her head and shifts her body, so she now straddles me, her skirt ridding up her legs. Slowly, Roza leans forward pressing her lips to my forehead and tucking my hair behind my ear. "You do not need to be afraid. I am never going to hurt you, Comrade. I love you."

I hug her tightly and rest my forehead on her collarbone taking a deep breath of her scent, committing it to memory. "I am more afraid of losing you. You can break my heart, tear it apart, step all over it, and I will still love you. But if something happens to you or…" I look up at her. "I cannot fathom life without you anymore, Roza."

"Then do not," she whispers placing her hands on each side of my face, her thumbs wiping away the tears I didn't know had slipped out. "Do not torture yourself that way. I am not going anywhere ever again. If I do, I will make sure to take you with me." We both chuckle briefly. "Seni seviyorum." She whispers her love to me in her native tongue before kissing me tenderly.

My hands don't ever stay still when it comes to Roza; they explore her back slowly, then run over her bare thighs pushing the dress further up. She moans into my mouth when my fingers scan her entrance causing my cock to throb painfully. But Roza seems desperate, and so am I, so I don't protest when she slaps my hands away and tugs my pants down freeing my restrained manhood. She moves to position herself over my cock, and with her eyes on mine, she slowly eases herself in. I grip her hips trying to pull her all the way down, but she shakes her head and digs her fingers onto my shoulders.

"My turn," she half-whispers half-moans into my ear. "My turn to love you." Her teeth tug at my earlobe as she begins to ride me, painfully slow. "I love you so much that words cannot begin to describe it, so let me show you."

Our breathing becomes ragged as she continues to move up and down my length, always slow, always loving; her eyes gazing into mine all the way into my soul. With a groan at the way she rocks her hips side to side when I'm buried deep inside her, I grip her face gently and pull her down to bite her lower lip followed by her chin. Slowly, she tilts her head up, moaning to the heavens and picking up speed in her movements. Kissing her collarbone, I let my hands rest at the small of her back pulling her closer to me. And it is a pity we can't truly become one. The delicious frequent tightening of her walls around me draws my attention: Roza is ready to come. My right hand abandons her lower back as I reach between us to stroke her clit, but she shoves my hand away.

"Watch me," she says between ragged breaths and a wicked smile on her lips. Her left hand remains on my shoulder while her right reaches between us.

Still moving up and down, she begins to touch herself. I groan, extremely aroused at the sight before me: Roza biting her lips to stifle her moans, her moving up and down desperately, and my cock glistening with her juices. Unable to take the torture, I grip her hips again and push her up and down at a violent pace. She frees her lower lip from between her teeth giving free reign to her screams of pleasure.

"Come for me," Roza breathes out, still moving her fingers over her clit. "Give it all to me."

So with a hiss and an expletive on my lips, I give it to her. I keep her down on me as I empty everything I have. She reaches her own orgasm a second later, whispering her love to me in Turkish. We move together just to ride out the last of our climax.

"You are incredible." I sigh happily pressing our foreheads together still breathing heavy.

"I know," she smiles smugly. We remain in silence relishing in the after sex bliss until her stomach rumbles. "I am starving." She giggles.

"Let us eat then," I reply with a chuckle of my own then plant a kiss on the top of her head.

"Are you in the menu?" She replies biting her lip as her wicked hands rub up against my once again hard cock.

"Roza," I groan burying my face in her neck and nibbling on the soft flesh there. "You are insatiable."

"Fine. We will have boring, bland food." She throws her head back and laughs pulling me by the hand and leading me out of the study.

Roza suggested I bathe first. Of course I did not want to; I wanted to keep her scent on me all day, but in the end I complied with her demands. I thought I would feel afraid that she seems to control me so easily, but I can never deny her anything. So after a bath, in which she sadly didn't join me, we headed for breakfast. Roza sat on my lap as we fed each other. After my Roza was satisfied, we decided to head out to explore the castle. First, we started by exploring the gardens, though everything is practically dead, they are spacious.

"I could plant some roses there," Roza mused watching all the empty space. "All the colors you can imagine." She said turning her blinding smile on me.

I couldn't say anything to her; I could only smile delighted that she was already thinking of Baia as home. Nothing would make me happier than to have her stay with me forever. We had moved on from the gardens to the rooms. We didn't linger on my sisters or mother's chambers. I talked a little about them, but Rose could tell it hurt to do so; she didn't push me.

"This is my crest," I tell her when we stop at the grand family room where my family and I once gathered for holidays and birthdays. I try to ignore the sadness as I gaze at the Belikov crest: a wolf snarling with the full Moon behind it.

"Why a wolf?" She asks taping her right index finger on her chin as she gazes up at the silver crest hanging over the fireplace.

I launch onto a story I heard many times in my youth, a story I committed to memory. "Centuries ago my great-great-great-great grandfather, Sergei Belikov, came from Novosibirsk to build his own domain. All he had were the clothes on his back and his hard working hands. When he found Baia, there was nothing back then but trees, he found the place had been raided and burned by hunters. Several dead wolves laid dead, butchered, killed for their fur and meat. Among the debris, he found a female wolf protecting her last pup. She was dying, so Sergei took care of them. He brought the dying wolf to life allowing the pup to grow with his mother. Time passed and slowly Sergei built up his domain. Whenever hunters passed by, they tried to rob the old man that lived alone. The wolves, Irina and Nikolai, protected old Sergei. People heard of the place protected by wolves and sought out that protection." I pause recalling the excitement I felt when my father told us the story over and over again in this same room. "The pack of wolves grew. Sergei trained them to protect the Belikov domain and the people that had now settled. Eventually, he married, had children and passed away. When Sergei died, the wolves left. Vladimir, Sergei's eldest son, adopted the wolf as our family crest in honor of the years the wolves stayed with us. My father used to say that the wolves would one day return." I turn to Rose and wink. "He was right."

She chuckles then goes silent for a second. "Why did the wolves leave?"

I shrug. "Maybe their loyalty was only due to Sergei, or perhaps the wolves simply grew tired. Babushka used to say the wolves are very perceptive, and they know when a person is worthy and when they are not. She had smiled as if she knew something we did not and would say 'when the right heir, a man like Sergei, a true Belikov comes, the wolves will return.'" I shake my head amused. "Babushka used to anger father very easily."

Roza suddenly shrieks making me jump out of my skin before recuperating and scanning the room for a threat. "Dimitri? Why are you snarling?" She touches my shoulder gently as a puzzling look takes over her features.

"Because you shrieked?" I ask puzzled myself.

"Oh," she giggles. "Sorry. I just realized! We should talk to your grandmother! She is still in Bucharest, correct? She could tell us how to break your cu…" She trails off as a deep frown forms on her forehead and her lips are pursed.

Panic begins to twist my stomach and constrict my heart painfully. Does Rose recall what Babushka said all those weeks ago? Can Rose piece it all together? I try to come up with something to say that will distract her from thinking, but I come up with nothing. Briefly, I consider telling her our only option is for me to bite her and turn her into one of us. Thankfully, Mason bursts into the room saving me from making a mistake. For the first time, I am happy for Mason's interruptions. I sigh in relief as Rose concentrates on Mason and his flushed cheeks forgetting whatever Babushka told her.

"Milady," Mason greets her curtly before turning to me. "I need to have a word with you. Now."

"Go ahead," I nod as I try to think of what could possibly be happening now.

"No," Mason glances nervously at Rose, who is standing closely to me with her arms crossed. "In private. It is urgent. I-"

Whatever Mason was about to say is cut off by a scream out in the foyer. "Stay here!" I command Roza before running out of the room with Mason right behind me. What I see fills me with dread. A man I thought I'd never see again is standing in my castle fighting Ivan, whose side is bleeding due to the sharp sword buried there. Arthur and Mason react first, launching themselves at the intruder, Adrian Ivashkov. Arthur knocks the sword out of Ivashkov's hands as Mason grabs him by the shoulders twisting them back painfully. Ivashkov falls on his knees as he grimaces. Arthur steps forward, sword raised high to behead the hunter.

"Stop!" Roza shrieks flying past me and down the stairs toward Adrian. "Stop." She takes the sword from Arthur and turns to look up at me. "Please…" Her voice breaks.

My nostrils flare and my jaw twitches with anger and jealousy as I slowly descend the steps. With my hands on my back and my eyes flashing with fire, I shake my head.

"He is in my castle," I say icily glaring at Ivashkov still on his knees. "Injuring my wolves. I think he deserves a clean beheading."

Roza's jaw drops as she looks at me with disbelief. Like she can't recognize who I am. "Dimitri…"

"I said NO!" I roar stepping forward to grasp Ivashkov's head and begin to twist. The hunter tenses as the pain on his neck increases with the pressure I add. I have to give it to him, for he doesn't scream or beg for mercy.

"Let him go." Rose says pressing the sword to the back of my neck. "I do not want to do this, Dimitri. Let him go. Please."

She still loves him. Everything we have done, everything we have been through, she has forgotten it. Roza is not mine. She still has feelings for the drunkard idiot at my feet glaring murderously up at me. With my heart slowly breaking, I release my hold on his head and step back. Turning to face Roza, she releases the sword. I see tears glistening in her eyes as her eyes flicker from Adrian to me. I should kill him. I have more than enough reasons to do so. Why don't I do it? Because if Rose still cares and loves him, I will not hurt her with his death.

"Release him," I command Mason, who hesitates for a second or two before slowly letting go of Ivashkov.

Everything happens fast. One second Ivashkov is on his knees, the next my heart is shattering, exploding inside my chest as he kisses Roza's lips fervently. I turn around and stalk out of the room unable to take the pain that threatens to kill me painfully slow.

_Rose_

Seeing Adrian at the mercy of Mason and Arthur made my heart ache. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, especially when I threatened Dimitri with the sword. But I couldn't think straight. I just knew I had to save Adrian. Things got out of control after Mason released Adrian, who launched himself at me and kissed me. I could only stand stiffly, eyes wide in shock. And then, Dimitri stalked out of the room breaking my heart in half.

If I run after Dimitri, Adrian will know something is up. I do not want to break his heart; I know I will eventually have to talk to him, but I want to delay it as much as possible. And choosing to stay with Adrian, I fear Dimitri will believe I am still in love with Adrian. I cannot split myself in half and attend to both of them. With a sigh, I decide I will deal with Dimitri later.

"Rose," Adrian whispers as he grips my head between his hands. "Oh, Little Huntress. I never thought I would see you again." He steps back and looks me over. "Are you hurt? Did he touch you? I swear…"

"Adrian," I cut him off, unable to hear him go on about how he will destroy Dimitri. "What are you doing here?"

He seems confused and even hurt at my question. "Rescuing you, of course. I swore I would, remember?"

"You fool," I shake my head. "Risking your life is the stupidest thing you could have done." I chastise looking him over and finding he has several cuts and bruises from when he challenged Mason and Ivan earlier, no doubt. "Mase, send someone with water and food to the dining room, please."

With that, I drag Adrian away from the wolves and into the empty room. I make Adrian sit on one of the chairs as I kneel in front of him. He looks around with a deep frown on his face.

"I figured I would do a lot more of fighting," he begins cautiously as I roll the sleeves of his shirt to take a look at some cuts on his forearms. "I figured you would be locked up somewhere. I never imagined you would be on a first name basis with _them_." He snarls the last word out, and I can hardly keep my breathing under control. Sometimes Adrian is oblivious to things around him; other times, like today, he is extremely observant, picking up on the littlest details.

"Yeah, well…" I trail off and shrug as the door to the dining room opens. Sydney timidly pokes her head in. She doesn't make eye contact with Adrian, and leaves so abruptly I don't have time to thank her. Adrian doesn't even spare her a glance as he gazes at me with what can only be adoration. Dousing a cloth in the warm water, I begin to tend to Adrian's wounds.

He stares at me as I work on his arms. "You look well," he says curiously after a while. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," I reply quietly moving on to his bruised face. "No one has hurt me. Adrian, what happened with Eddie?" I drop my hands on his lap, and he takes them rubbing gentle circles over them. I wish I could pull away, but I am afraid to hurt his feelings. I am afraid he will see that nothing is the same between us, that there's no more 'us.' There never was.

His gentle face turns dark with hatred. "Oh you heard about the traitor." His lips twist in disgust as he spits the last word out. I suppress a sigh at how much hatred Adrian holds in his heart, and to think I used to be like him! Every mention of the beasts spiked my anger and made me want to seek them out and butcher them. At this point, the only beasts I wish to butcher are Isaiah and his monsters. All I want now is to rescue Eddie, find a way to save Dimitri from his curse, and set Adrian free to love someone who will love him like he deserves.

"I saw him," I whisper recalling those hideous red eyes on my dear friend.

"How…"

"Long story." I smile weakly. "We have many things to discuss. You first. I want to know what happened to Eddie. Is everyone all right at home? Baba, Lissa, Christian… How…"

"We set out to find you," Adrian cuts me off sighing before he continues with his story. "Your father, Lissa, Christian, Erik, Eddie, your aunt Oksana, Mark, and Janine…"

"What?" I interrupt at the mention of my mother's name.

My head reels with Adrian's story. It turns out my mother is alive; my father faked her death because she is now a werewolf. There was just no way he could let her die. In a way, I am relieved to know Mom is alive, but I am angered that all these years I was lied to. I was drowning in the despair of my mother's death, on the hatred I felt for Dimitri, and it was all for nothing. By the time Adrian gets to the part where the rogues attacked during the full Moon, I can hardly breathe.

"No one listened to me when I said the traitor had to die," Adrian snarls watching me pace back and forth, tugging at the roots of my hair. "I told them he would snap, and they would regret it. Eventually one of the rogues came back and began to command the traitor."

Adrian pauses and glances nervously at me as if what he is about to say next is going to break me. I stop pacing and rest my hands on the armchair leaning forward and getting on his personal space. "Continue." I snarl needing to know what happed once Isaiah started controlling Eddie like a puppet.

"What has happened to you?" Adrian rises from the chair making me jump backwards recoiling from his proximity. With him so close, I feel like a lying whore. Cheating on Dimitri. Cheating on Adrian. Cheating on them both. It is irrational, because my heart beats for Dimitri, and I am not doing anything with Adrian, but the simple fact that I have not broken my engagement with him makes me feel dirty. Basically, like a whore.

"Just continue with the damn story, Ivashkov," I snap rubbing my temples where the pain is slowly building.

"Ivashkov?" His voice is a whisper thick with hurt and even anger. I haven't called him Ivashkov in years when we would bicker endlessly. "When did I become Ivashkov? When did the beast become _Dimitri_?" He snarls moving towards me with purposeful steps. "Answer me, Rose! What has happened between you two?"

I merely shake my head and continue to pace unable to meet his eyes for fear he would see the guilt in them. Not guilt that I have given myself to the man I truly love, but guilt that I have done it all wrong. Something snaps in Adrian, something I have not seen since Meredith was ripped to shreds years ago, something I hoped I would never see in him again: rage. He yanks my arms pulling me against his chest.

"I did not want to believe it," he says through his teeth as the fury in his eyes chills me to the bone. "I heard rumors that a beauty had fallen in love with the beast. What happened between you?" He repeats emphasizing every word.

"I…" I clear my throat and close my eyes before letting it all out. "I love him. I always have. I am so so-"

He doesn't let me finish. Instead, shoves me away making me stumble and fall hard on my ass. Hot pain shots up from my bottom, around my hips, and to my lower back; I pray nothing has broken. I bite my lip to keep from crying out. If Dimitri hears and witnesses this, he will rip Adrian to shreds. Despite it all, I care for Adrian like a dear friend. He understood my anger and hatred towards the beasts. He is in every right to be upset. Like a raging bull, he knocks the table over as he shouts profanities. When he turns to face me, his face is red and his eyes are unfocused.

"Did you fuck him?" He snarls kneeling down to my eye level as tears leak out of his eyes. "Please, Rose. Tell me you did not…" He trails off when I avert my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat. "I am going to kill him. I am going to kill you!"

His hands encircle my throat as he crushes my throat depriving me of air. Dark spots dance in my vision as I begin to go unconscious.

"I love you," his tears fall on my face as he continues to add more and more pressure to my throat. "I love you, and this is how you pay me."

Faintly, I hear the angry shout of a very pissed off Russian werewolf, and that is the only incentive I need to fight Adrian off because Dimitri will kill him. I can't let that happen. I bring my fist to the side of Adrian's head and knock him out cold. He falls limp on top of me as I gasp for air. Adrian's heavy body is soon lifted off of me, and I let the darkness slowly take me. The last thing I see is Dimitri's flushed face as he whispers my name worriedly.

"Roza, Roza."

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**Ok, done with the lemons for a while; don't want your ovaries to explode anymore ;) By show of hands, how many of y'all hate Adrian? *Author raises hand* What do you think will happen to him? I love to have discussions with y'all so feel free to message! **


	32. Flame

Once more hello lovely readers and our guest with no balls. Today is a day to rejoice! I have received my first flame! Yay me! *sarcasm*

Now to address the concerns so beautifully *more sarcasm btw* expressed by our gutless guest. My dear, you should at least have the balls to tell me who the fuck you are so we can discuss this somewhere private. But oh well. So you think my story is shitty? You don't like the turn out of it? Don't like the way the characters are portrayed? Well guess what? It is _MY_ story. You don't like it? Get the fuck out. Simple solution, you're welcome. I won't please everyone. Sorry not sorry honestly.

And why Rose "suddenly" loves Dimitri? Adrian turning into a douche out of nowhere? Where the hell have you been? Rose struggled with her feelings for quite some time, and she... Ah fuck. I don't need to explain anything! Go away if you don't like the story no need to be a buzz kill. Lastly my dear UNEDUCATED PRICK NEVER USE CAPS LOCKS BECAUSE THAT IS CONSIDERED VERY, VERY RUDE. Adios, hater. Have a lovely day and choke on a lego :D

Well, shit this didn't go the way I planned. I wanted to be nice though considering all the things I could say, I am being extremely nice. Anyway, I am now done with our guest. However I must say that from now on all guest reviews will be moderated, and if this person or anyone comes fucking screaming, figuratively, at me, all guest reviews will be disabled. This time I'm truly sorry because my guests deserve to review especially after the way you all have defended the story and me! Would you believe me if I said I have tears forming in eyes right now? Deeply touched by all the love, seriously. From the bottom of my heart, I send you my gratitude and love plus a naked Dimitri with any ice cream flavor of your choice ;)

On a more positive note, I will post the next chapter later on today :) Romi finished mere hours after the last one, but I wanted to give you all time to process what just happened. Well, see you all later!

Much love,

Monse

littlerichellemead


	33. Enlightenment

**AN: With every chapter we upload the gratitude and love for you all grows. You are all truly the best readers; thank you for all the support! Words cannot express how much I love y'all! And don't worry, I won't stop writing. Currently I am halfway done with chapter 33 which at this point would be 35? Guest reviewers, also don't fret! You can still submit reviews :) As always and forever, let us thank my beta, Romi, because she kicks ass. Dimitri loves you, hon! And here y'all go another chapter as promised…**

* * *

_Adrian_

The redheaded werewolf throws cold water over Adrian's face, effectively waking the hunter from the concussion Rose gave him. Disoriented, Adrian looks around the room, a dungeon more like it, with bare walls, no windows, no cot to sleep on, and gravel for a floor. It's going to be a bitch to sleep in this place. With a groan, Adrian tries to rise, but the world spins, so he falls back on the floor. The werewolf laughs bitterly as he sits across from the hunter near the only torch in the room.

"She really fucked you up," Mason sneers. When he and Dimitri heard Ivashkov shout he would kill Rose, Dimitri lost it and ran out of Ivan's room where Sydney was tending to Ivan's wounds. The anger of the Alpha was more stifling than ever, so neither Mason nor Sydney could move for a while. And when they finally walked into the dining room, Mason recalls feeling dread settle in the pit of his stomach as he saw Ivashkov choking the life out of Rose. When she knocked Adrian out, Mason felt relief and even happy to see his Rosie still had a fight in her.

"She fucked your Alpha, not me." Ivashkov retorts dryly recalling the guilt in Rose's eyes as he asked if she fucked Dimitri. That guilt was the only answer Adrian needed.

Mason stiffens and his jaw twitches. "I am not supposed to do this…" In a swift movement, Mason is on his feet kicking Adrian's stomach once, twice, thrice. "I will take the heat from Rose."

Adrian laughs bitterly as he spits out some blood and curls up in a ball at the sharp pain in his intestines. "Is she fucking you too?"

The hunter has the satisfaction of watching the werewolf struggle for control. Mason clenches and unclenches his fists as crimson rises up his neck all the way to his cheeks while his breathing becomes labored. For a few seconds, the werewolf closes his eyes, and Adrian briefly considers fighting the beast off and escaping. But the hunter is tired of his useless journey. Besides, the redhead opens his eyes almost immediately and takes a deep breath before speaking.

"You are pitiful." Mason shakes his head and retires to a corner. If it was up to him, he would be upstairs making sure Rose is not dead. But instead he has to guard the prisoner. When Mason tried to explain to Dimitri that there was no point in guarding Adrian as he couldn't escape without the pack finding out, Dimitri had practically ripped Mason a new ass hole and sent him to do as the Alpha commanded.

"I am pitiful?" Ivashkov narrows his eyes on the werewolf. "How am I pitiful? I have risked my life to come save my so called fiancée only to find out she has been _fucking _her captor? She has cheated on me, and I am pitiful." He snorts and crawls to the opposite wall.

"You are very pitiful and a fool. You think killing her is going to fix things? No. Besides, she loves Dimitri, and he loves her. What more is there to do? You cannot come between them." Mason says cheerfully.

"I could kill him," Adrian mutters darkly. "I could kill Belikov. If I cannot come between them, death can and will_._"

Mason shrugs unconcerned by the hunter's threat. "You could try. You might succeed, and what will that accomplish? Rose will suffer. Do you hate her so much? What happened to your undying love for her?"

"What happened to her undying love for _me_?" Adrian retorts as his eyes flash with fury and hurt. However, a nightmare from long ago pops into his head: Rose screaming as if her heart is being torn out of her chest. Rose burying her sword deep into her stomach after Adrian has killed the beast. Does he want her dead? The pain and anger cloud his judgment, but deep inside he knows the answer: no. He does not want Rose dead. The hunter looks at his hands for a long time wondering what possessed him to attempt to kill the woman he loves. "You are sagacious for your age. How old are you?"

"Two centuries old," Mason replies tiredly, then gets up from his spot. "I am going to see Rose. Hopefully she is still alive. If I were you, I would enjoy my last minutes alive; Dimitri is going to murder you." With that last cheerful message, Mason bangs on the iron door and exits taking the only source of light in the humid and fetid room.

Once alone, Adrian recalls the events that led to his imprisonment in Belikov's dungeon. The irony of the situation doesn't escape Adrian. How ludicrous it is that a while ago, Belikov spent his days at the mercy of Adrian in Budapest and now the roles are reversed. Life sure has a sick sense of humor and even more so because Adrian has lost his woman to the monster he and Rose swore to hate for all eternity. That last thought makes Adrian sigh sadly. All the hardships, everything he went through to come rescue Rose, whom Adrian thought would be hurt or worst, dead, were for naught. In the end, she loves the beast.

Riding all across Russia to Siberia, nearly dying of exhaustion was all for nothing. Asking and begging for help to finding the place where the Moon shines as bright as the Sun and all that shit the witch told him was all a wasted effort. Nearly being killed by two ferocious werewolves as he set foot in Baia was a mistake. Perhaps the redheaded beast is correct and Adrian is a fool for setting out on this suicidal mission. The story will not end well for him.

"It will not end well for anyone," the witch's voice echoes in the darkness, and Adrian can hear the sound of her cane against the gravel. "Not unless you do as I say."

The hunter snorts and settles down to sleep with his hands behind his head. "You said that before and so far, I have received no clear instructions only cryptic and boring poetry." Recalling the witch's last words in Moscow, Adrian sits up straining to see her figure but the darkness is everywhere. "A warning of what I might find here would have been very much appreciated, _witch._" He snarls the last word out.

"I gave you a warning. 'Baia is where the lovers swear eternal love.' There is your warning. You are too hardheaded to comprehend the simplest of things." Even in the darkness, Adrian can picture the witch's scowl and shake of her head in disapproval. "I asked you whether you were going to kill or save her. What did you answer, Ivashkov?"

Adrian remains silent, faintly recalling one of those strange nightmares in which the witch told him the rogues were coming. _I will save her,_ he had answered without hesitation. However just hours or perhaps minutes ago, he almost killed her. Shame colors his cheeks, and he is thankful for the absolute darkness.

"Answer, Ivashkov!" The witch snaps forcefully.

"I said I would save her," he replies with a small voice like a child chastised after doing the exact thing his mother told him not to do. "I said I would save her but that was before she betrayed me. Let the beast save her from whatever it is that is coming for her. He can do it better than I can."

Yeva shakes her head then realizes the hunter can't see it, so she sighs to show her disapproval. "You are a fool. The biggest fool I have met, and trust me, I have met many. You are not saving her from the rogues anymore. You are right; Dimka can protect her from them better than you. But there is another threat: Rose herself."

"Dimka?" Adrian frowns at the familiarity in which the witch addresses the beast. Then he realizes what a fool he has been. "You are family! Is he your spawn?" Adrian's mouth twists in disgust but of course the notion goes unnoticed by the witch.

"He is my grandson."

"No wonder you favorite him!" Adrian throws his hands up in the air and breathes deeply the smell of mildew, and even dry blood filling his nostrils, making him cringe at the putrid smell. "What do you even mean that Rose is the threat? Is she going to turn into a rogue?"

"No. But as I said, she is a danger to herself. You know her better than I do. You know she gives everything for those she loves."

"What do you want me to do, then?" He runs his hands through his greasy, disheveled hair blowing the air noisily out through his mouth. "You say I have to do everything you say. Well? I am at your command, I suppose."

"Now you are thinking, using that small brain of yours." The witch moves closer to Adrian though the hunter cannot see it. Suddenly a hand touches his shoulder making him jump out of his skin and the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. "Relax. I will not hurt you. Just feel."

"Feel what?" Adrian asks unsettled wishing he could move away from the witch, but he suddenly feels heavy. Then hot, then extremely cold, and back and forth. He feels something crawl all over his skin, and it feels filthy but also fascinating. The feeling settles in his hands, and he pulls them up close to his face straining his eyes to see if there's anything wrong with them. And then a voice that doesn't belong to the witch whispers in his ears.

"_He who is hideous by heart will be hideous by aspect until he finds love and love finds him. The full Moon will control him. The blood lust will drive him. He will be a beast unable to find rest until he is set free by his love."_

And the answer becomes clear. Belikov has to die by Rose's sword. That is why Belikov allowed himself to be captured in Moscow more than six months ago. That is why the beast was so eager to be in Istanbul, because he knew Rose is the one who will set him free. Somehow, Rose couldn't kill him though. Adrian recalls how desperately she sliced and hacked the beast's head off. Why didn't it work?

"Because she held feelings for you as well," the witch whispers next to him, her bony fingers digging into his shoulder. "Now you know she cared for you. But she was born for Dimitri Belikov. They met when she was thirteen. Their fate was sealed the day their eyes met. After Rose became full of hatred, she locked away her feelings. Now, they came rushing forward, consuming her completely."

"She can kill him now," happiness and bitterness lace Adrian's words at the thought of the beast dying and paying for stealing Rose from him. A hand smacks the back of his head.

"Control your murdering thoughts. I am not done yet." The witch practically growls. Once more heat and cold alternate coursing through Adrian's body as the witch's voice whispers the next words.

"_He who is hideous by heart will be hideous by aspect. The full Moon will control him. The blood lust will consume him. The Beast will be unable to find rest until he finds Beauty's love. Love will claim the life of the Beauty to set the Beast free."_

Once more Adrian is enlightened, and this time he feels the air leave his lungs with the force of the truth. Rose has to die to save the beast. Like the witch said, Adrian knows her better than anyone, and she will not hesitate to drive her sword through her heart if that saves her beloved. Disgusted with the epiphany, Adrian rises and stalks away from the witch. In the darkness, he collides with a wall and rubs his forehead where he hit himself. He decides that pacing is not in his best interests at the moment, so he opts to rub his face and tug at his hair in desperation and anger.

Desperation because Rose will die no matter what; not by his hand or the rogues but by her own. Suddenly, all those nightmares the witch induced in him become clear. They were actually premonitions of what is going to happen. Then he feels anger because Rose is so willing to give her life up for a beast, a monster that has taken many lives and doomed others to hell. Does she not have any regard for Adrian's feelings or the pain she is sure to cause to those that love her if she dies? Why does she love Belikov and not him?

"She was born…"

"For him. I know. I heard you the first time," big and angry tears roll down Adrian's cheeks; he wipes them with the sleeve of his torn and dirty chemise but there are more where those came from. "Why are you telling me this? What am I supposed to do?"

"If I tell you now, in the state you are in, you will make the wrong choice. When the time is right, you will know what to do. The solution will come instinctively to you."

Adrian shakes his head and laughs humorlessly with a hint of insanity as well. "I thought you said I had to do exactly as you say? Just go ahead and tell me what to do."

"I have told you more than enough times, Ivashkov. Save Rose."

"But how? All you have given me are riddles and poetry and… Shit! How am I supposed to save Rose?" He emphasizes every word and waits for the answer that never comes. The witch remains silent just like Adrian suspected. Once more, he shakes his head and rubs his tear stained eyes. "I… I cannot save her. I will not. If she is foolish enough to throw her life away for him… Who am I to stop her? She does not care for what I feel or think. Let her do as she pleases."

"Ivashkov…"

"Enough! Just leave me be, witch! You have done enough damage." He crawls to a corner where he buries his face in his hands and lets the tears fall silently.

"You are making this very, very difficult. If you would only listen and use your brain…" Yeva sighs and decides that even though time is running out, that the final battle is coming, the hunter needs to let his pain out. "I suppose you will know what to do when the time comes. I only hope it is not too late."

Then, Adrian can't feel her presence anymore, and he knows the witch is gone. He gives free reign to his sobs; sobs that make his whole body tremble. When he met Rose years ago, he would never have imagined she would break his heart this way. He never imagined it would be so hard to be with her. Life was simpler when he hopped from bed to bed with no attachments, no complications just sex. Briefly he wonders what would have happened if he had stayed with the golden haired maiden that accompanied his mother. At the moment, he can't recall her name, just her eyes: brown orbs that when the light hit her just right would turn gold. She asked nothing of him; Adrian wonders if she would have continued to never pressure him for more. Would she have wanted more? Would he have asked her to marry him? Would she have hurt him the same way Rose had just done? His questions will never be answered, he knows so.

The door to his prison opens suddenly, and he roughly wipes the tears away. The visitor, who slowly enters the room, is the last person Adrian wants to see. However, as there is nowhere to go in this small room, he has no option but to hear what the person has to say. So Adrian waits for what is next.

_Rose_

My eyelids feel extremely heavy every time I try to pry them open. In fact, my entire body feels heavy like I have been buried under rocks. When I finally manage to open my eyes, the room is thankfully dark with the only light coming from the fireplace, and the silver light of the Moon coming through the golden drapes. I shift to my right side but a searing pain shots up from my ass to my lower back making me groan. Unfortunately, the sound causes my dry throat to hurt even more. Ignoring the pain, I manage to lay on my right side. A tall and broad shadow across the room is the first and only thing I see.

"Roza," the voice of my Russian nearly brings me to tears as his voice holds all the pain and love in the world. Dimitri steps out of the shadows and moves closer to the bed where he kneels. The light of the fire illuminates his features causing my heart to constrict at the sight of his disheveled hair, worry lines around his eyes and mouth, and his duster nowhere to be seen. "My love." He whispers grabbing my left hand and giving my knuckles small, loving kisses.

"What…" My voice is hoarse, and my throat hurts to even breathe. With a grimace, I continue. "What happened?"

The despair in his eyes is gone replaced by burning fury. His usually gentle brown eyes turn into hard coals of hatred. He doesn't say anything as he looks out the window breathing heavily. When he returns his eyes to mine, the hatred is still there, but I can also see fear, but fear of what? I don't know.

"Ivashkov tried to kill you," his words are accentuated with his Russian accent even more so than usual. "I am going to rip off his arms, Rose. His head will hang over the fireplace, and…"

"Please…" I croak out, closing my eyes then opening them quickly again as the images of Dimitri covered in Adrian's blood comes to mind. "He… He is distraught. He would have stopped."

Of course I said the wrong thing because Dimitri lets go of my hand and quickly gets up to pace the room like a caged wolf and swearing in his native tongue. "He would have stopped? Yes, he would have. When you were finally dead, Roza! Fuck! He wanted to kill you."

I stay quiet letting him simmer and get the anger out of his system because of course I know Dimitri's right. I saw it in Adrian's eyes: the hatred, the rage, the pain and a hint of insanity. Adrian wanted me dead; he probably still does. If I hadn't knocked him out for fear that Dimitri would actually rip his arms off, he would have managed to kill me.

"Why did you not fight him, Roza?" The anger is still in his voice, but I can also hear the pain and despair like his heart is breaking. "Did you not want to hurt him because…" He trails off and runs his hands through his hair.

"Because I deserve to die." I whisper closing my eyes as treacherous tears leak out. "I am a terrible person…"

"Look at me!" He snaps with such ferocity that I have no option but to obey. When I open my eyes, his face is inches away from mine. His eyes soften considerably as he sees how wrecked I am. "You do not deserve to die. You are not a terrible person, Roza. You are the most incredible woman I have ever met. There is so much compassion and love in that fiery heart of yours."

"Then why did I hurt Adrian so much?" I ask pitifully. "He did not deserve this. He risked his life for me, and I pay him with betrayal." I look away from Dimitri, suddenly getting the feeling that he is judging me. That he too sees what a whore I am.

"You still care for him." It's not a question but a statement. In that statement, I detect jealousy and sorrow. When I turn to look back at him, all the anger is gone. His shoulders slump and his head is between his hands. And that is when I realize I have not only hurt Adrian. I have hurt Dimitri too, the love of my life.

Despite the pain, I sit up on the bed and as the protests begin to slip through his lips, I kiss him. I kiss him gently and lovingly, tasting salt on his lips. He is crying because he thinks I still have feelings for Adrian. How do I begin to explain or attempt to show my deep love for him? What can I do to prove that he is the only one I'll ever love, and if he were to die today, I would follow right after him? When we finally split apart, I touch our foreheads together.

"I do. I care for Adrian because I have known him for years. I loved him at some point. Hell, I still love him but in the same way I love Mason, Eddie, and Christian. My love for you is deeper, stronger, and unbreakable. I would drink from the devil's soul for you. I would give up my own life to save you if that is what it took. What can I do to prove how much I love you?" By the time I am done talking, Dimitri's cheeks are soaked with tears and my heart shatters into a million pieces to see him like this. That is until he kisses me again with such ferocity like I am going to disappear at any moment.

"Do not ever leave me," he pleads against my lips. "Never leave, Roza."

"Never." I swear, kissing him again.

After that, Dimitri hands me a goblet of refreshing cool water that does wonders to soothe my burning throat. As for the pain in my lower back, well, I will have to suck it up and wait for it to subside. It takes a lot of coaxing to get Dimitri into sleeping with me. His first argument is that he is not tired, but I see the fatigue in his eyes. Then he argues that he could hurt me, but I tell him I am not a delicate rose and can handle anything. I know he just wants to stay up all night watching me as if I am about to run away again. In the end, he succumbs to my persuasion, which consists of pouting my lips and bating my eyelashes. He gingerly lies next to me and settles in a small space on the farthest side of the bed. I can't help but giggle at how he tries to make himself smaller, but with his stature, it is nearly impossible.

"I am cold," I lie tugging his duster, which he had used to wrap me up in after I blacked out, closer to my body. "I need body heat."

He sighs and finally moves closer to me, pulling me against his chest wrapping his arms gently around me. "You are a terrible liar, Rose." I can feel the smile on his lips as he kisses my hair.

"Shut up and enjoy me." I mutter against his neck. He says no more and soon, I feel his body relax and a small snore escapes his lips.

I can't go back to sleep. I keep thinking about the look in Adrian's eyes. That rage and hatred were reserved for the werewolves. Since the day Meredith was killed when she wandered off after the alarms blared three years ago, Adrian was never the same. His hatred for the beasts grew and grew each day he saw his insane mother talking to Meredith, who was no longer alive. I can't stand Adrian hating me. There has to be a way for him to forgive me. I need to speak to him not only about what happened between Dimitri and me, but I also need to know about my mother and Eddie.

When I am certain Dimitri is deeply asleep, I carefully untangle myself from him and despite the pain in my lower back, make my way out of the room. Dimitri must be really tired because he does not wake. With slow steps, I make my way down the stairs. I stop at the foyer, for I have no idea where Adrian is. He could be anywhere in the enormous Belikov castle. I curse quietly and sigh deeply causing my back to hurt more.

"Looking for Ivashkov?" Mason steps out from under the staircase, his hands in his pockets and frowning at me. "Should you not be in bed?"

I wave my hand dismissively in the air. "I am a big girl. I can take a little pain. Where is he?"

"Dimitri or Ivashkov?" He looks me over suspiciously.

"I know where Dimitri is. I need…"

"To be with Dimitri."

"To talk to Adrian. He knows what happened with Eddie. I need to find out." I hate the pleading tone in my voice, but Mason owes his loyalty to Dimitri. Mason won't do anything that will hurt his Alpha, and talking to Adrian behind his back will hurt him. So I need to sound as pathetic as I can to earn Mason's pity. "He said my mother is alive. Please, I need to know more."

Mason takes a deep breath and looks everywhere expecting Dimitri to come out of the shadows and rip him a new ass hole for even considering helping me to talk to the man that almost tried to kill me. After cursing in Russian, something I need to learn, Mason motions me with his head toward the stairs. At first, I frown. What are we doing under the stairs? Then I see the hidden door. When he opens it, a dark corridor lit up by torches along the walls appears.

"The dungeons." He explains taking my hand. "Do not reject my helping hand, Rose. In your state, you should not be walking so much."

I roll my eyes but take his hand for which I am glad because my back is killing me halfway down. Mason has to wrap his arm around my waist and practically drag me along. After what feels like forever, we stop at an iron door guarded by a woman. She and Mason engage in a brief hushed conversation before the woman picks up a torch and leaves the dungeon without a second glance in my direction.

"You have about five minutes," Mason says shoving the iron door open easily. "Five minutes until Galina runs to Dimitri. Trust me, she will. She has loved him since… well, hurry up."

I step slowly into the darkened room. Before I enter all the way in, Mason hands me a torch and after one last look at me, he closes the door to give Adrian and me some privacy. I know, however, that Mason will be attentive in case I need his help. With the torch, I locate Adrian sitting in a corner with his elbows propped up on his knees and his head resting against the wall.

"Adrian," I whisper as if talking to a wounded animal. I shake my head to remove that thought. Adrian is not an animal. He is a human being whom I have hurt very deeply. "Adrian." I repeat this time with more force. "Can we talk?"

"I have two options Rose," I grimace at the way he spits out my name like it is poison to his lips. "One, I ignore you which will accomplish nothing because you will never leave until I pay you my undivided attention. Two, I could just pick up where I left off upstairs, but given that your guard dog is right outside, I would not get anywhere near you before he rips my balls off. I suppose I have no option but to talk to you."

His voice sends shivers down my spine. It is thick with ice and disdain; it is such a contrast to his warm and loving tone I grew used to over our years together. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I get on with what I came here for.

"Can you tell me about my mother? How is she?" A tear rolls down my left cheek, and I wipe it with the tips of my fingers. I still can't get over the fact that my mother is alive, and that I was lied to all these years.

"Last time I saw her," he shrugs clearly unconcerned with my mother's well-being. "She was bruised and bloodied after fighting the traitor off. By now, she is probably dead." His lips turn upwards in a sadistic smile as he turns to glare at me.

I bite my tongue and hold the torch tighter to keep from launching myself at him for the way he addresses my mother. "How or why did Eddie attack? You said Isaiah showed up to control him…"

"You are even on first name basis with the rogue," he chuckles humorlessly and gets up from his corner. "Rosemarie Hathaway Mazur, you have changed. Just a month ago the mere mention of the werewolves made your beautiful lips curl back in disgust and hatred. And now look at you. Fucking one, if not all of them." He makes his way slowly towards me like a predator stalking his prey. "Is that why you did not want to fuck me?"

I take a deep breath and try to look as impassive as I can despite the fact that his words are like knives through my heart. "I did not come here to talk about us…"

"Us?" He throws his head back and laughs maniacally. "For what I have heard, there never was any 'us', Rose. You never belonged to me, and you never will." His mood shifts abruptly as he frowns as if suddenly deeply interested in the flickering flames of the torch. "How much do you love him, Rose?" He turns his emerald eyes on me, the flames dancing in them.

"Adrian, please. Do not do this. I just wish to know…"

"The least I deserve is to know how much you love him, Rose. Do you love him enough to give up your life for him? Would you die for Belikov?"

"Yes. Yes I would die for him." I reply without hesitation and tilting my chin up in defiance. "If you hurt him…"

"Me?" He snorts and gestures with both of his hands to the small, dark and bare dungeon. "I cannot harm anyone from here." Once more, his mood shifts, and he leans dangerously close. I hold my ground even though the image of him on top of me and the feeling of his fingers around my neck flashes in my mind. "For the sake of the love I once held for you, I will advise you to leave. Run, Rose. Run and hide, beauty."

His words stir a distant memory stored somewhere deep in my brain. Once more, I get the feeling of a thin veil obstructing my vision, preventing me from seeing the truth that is dancing right in front of my eyes. Before I ask Adrian where he heard those words or why is he even saying them, I hear the angry and deep voice of Dimitri talking rapidly in Russian. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and his arms pick me up, throwing me over his shoulder and without another glance in Adrian's direction, Dimitri stalks out.

"No one speaks to him," he commands brusquely to Mason and the woman, Galina. "No one, more specifically Rose. Have I made myself clear?"

I don't hear or see Mason and Galina's answer because Dimitri rushes up the stairs and out of the dungeon. Still, he doesn't put me down until we are in the ball room where Alberta's feast was held. He lowers me gently onto one of the chairs. His gentle movements are such a contrast to his eyes which are dark with fury. Once I am sitting, he takes to pacing the room every once in a while throwing a glare in my direction. Instead of confronting him about his anger issues, I mull Adrian's odd choice of words. Where did he hear them? Yeva whispered those words to me when we met in Bucharest. Lissa couldn't have possibly told Adrian because she didn't hear, and she wouldn't risk our reputation by recounting our visit to a witch.

"What were you thinking?" Dimitri snaps me out of recalling the visit to Yeva months ago.

"What was I what?" I ask distracted, trying to get back to that memory.

"What were you thinking going to see him? He could have tried to kill you again! Roza, you need to stop putting yourself in danger." He rubs his face in exhaustion or perhaps disappointment.

"I had to speak to him," I shrug which causes my back to hurt a little. "I know you would not have let me."

"Of course not! What do you need from him?" Once more, I can hear the insecurity in his voice that I may not love him enough. I stretch my left hand out for him. He takes it and kneels at my feet rubbing gentle patterns over my hand. "I do not want to lose you."

"You will not." I promise him again, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. "Adrian told me that… my mother is alive."

For a couple of seconds, Dimitri is silent and completely shocked at the revelation. He blinks several times then shakes his head. "Impossible. You said you saw her burn. How…"

I explain to him how my father faked her death possibly wrapping an unidentified body in silk and throwing it on the flames. Then I tell him everything Adrian said, leaving out the part where his strange words are giving me a headache as I try to no avail to grasp the key to this whole mess. It is hidden in that memory; hidden in Yeva's words. But the pounding in my head and the concern over my mother and loved ones prevent me from truly concentrating. Dimitri frowns as he continues to rub my hand with his thumb.

"He could be lying, Roza. He could be lying to hurt you." His eyes and tone are apologetic. I'm sure he wishes my mother is truly alive for the sake of my happiness, but he doesn't want me to get my hopes up in case this is all a ruse. But I know that it is not.

_"A dead person will come back into your life._" I recite back one of the fortunes Yeva told me. "Your grandmother said that. Adrian told me about my mother before he found out about us. It has to be true, Dimitri. I have to find my mother. She is hurt. She could be…" I stop midsentence as the thought of her truly dead this time torments me, and I choke on a sob. My mother's lycanthropy is my fault and her faked death too. She had been looking for me just like she is now. She is looking for me, and she is dying if she's not already dead. What happened to my father? To my friends? Are they all dead by now? "I bring death wherever I go."

Dimitri pulls me into his arms and kisses my hair repeatedly. "No, my love. You do not bring death. We will find her. We will find your family and friends, and they will be well. I will bring them to you."

I nod as I step out of his arms and lower myself on the chair again. Dimitri calls different names and several members of the pack immediately report for duty. The Alpha gives orders left and right which I ignore. _A dead person will come back into your life_. That single sentence has brought back the memory, and I can see it play before my eyes like it is happening again. Lissa and I in a darkened room with candles and bones sprawled on a small table. A smug old lady sitting across from us; she looks at Lissa and me with indulgence as she casts my fortune or perhaps misfortune as I am suddenly enlightened.

_"It is not Lord Ivashkov… This man I see, you will love him passionately… You will do anything for him… You will die for him…" _

_ "You will die for him_." I chant over and over under my breath. "_You will die for him. _I will die for him." My last words echo what I told Dimitri earlier when I tried to prove to him how much I loved him. And then I start laughing because I didn't imagine that to save Dimitri I would really have to die. My insane laughter draws the attention of those gathered in the room. Dimitri sends his people away and makes his way back to me with a frown on his face as I keep laughing throwing my head back truly enjoying the irony.

"_And now you know_." Yeva's voice is barely audible in my head, but it is enough to sober me up and confirm my discovery. "_You have your answers. What will you do, Beauty?"_

"I have to die," my suddenly empty voice echoes in the silent room. Dimitri, who is once more kneeling in front of me, stops frowning as his eyes widen in shock. "That is how I will set you free. My life for yours." I whisper meeting his eyes and watch his face twist in anguish, but he doesn't deny my enlightenment: I have to die.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! The cat is out of the bag! What will Rose do? And don't worry, we'll soon get a real confrontation between Dimitri and Adrian. Until next time… (I sound like a TV show XD) If I missed your review for some reason, I am so sorry. You guys bombarded me with love! Thank you! Just know that I will forever appreciate and love y'all! :)**


	34. No Guts, No Glory!

**Monse:**

Sorry for the second AN note of the day. This time, I am joined by my lovely, kick ass beta, Romi. I was just talking to her about the flame we received earlier today, like five in the freaking morning, and I got upset again. Ok, we are both upset. Beyond upset. Anyway, we just want to address a couple of things before we both get back to our respective duties. Romi to betaing chapter 32, which will now be 35, and me to finishing up 33, which will be 36.

First, we would like to reiterate that we enjoy reviews. We really do. We love it when you guys are engaged and tell us what you think of the story and go as far as speculating what will happen. It is absolutely amazing! Basically, we encourage constructive criticism. All great authors would not be where they are without said criticism. However, the hurtful words used by the guest are not constructive and, well, just plain mean. With that being said, we will NOT tolerate the bashing of the story Romi and I put so much effort into. Romi previously stated that we discuss practically every sentence to make sure it is grammatically correct. Also, whenever I have questions concerning the direction of the story, I go straight to Romi, who as I said opens my eyes to possible mistakes I could make. Example? I originally planned to kill Eddie. Romi convinced me not to do so because I would have an angry mob at my doorstep. So, we practically talk about this story 24/7, not really but you know what I mean. Long story short, no more bashing! This story has become my baby, and to have someone come along and call it shitty? I don't think so, lady.

When I say my beta is a badass, I truly mean it. With her awesome skills, we could track down any fucker that tries to hurt this baby again. Seriously. She has mad computer skills, and she can track you down in seconds! Think twice before you come spreading your ignorance and hatred because we will hunt you down!

Once more! Thank you so freaking much for all the love! Oh my God. I'm blown away. I'll never be able to express my gratitude for such beautiful, lovely, kindhearted, fierce and amazing readers. And I'll never get over how lucky I am to have such a protective, talented, sweet, and wonderful beta such as Romi :D Thank you, again. And I'm trying to stay classy, but fuck it. The bitchy guest fucked with the wrong story, so I'm gonna say it… Fuck you. Fuck you and your hateful words. Bye and choke on another lego!

**Romi:**

I'd start by addressing each and every of your mistakes in your not-at-all forthright review, but then my note would have more words than the ones from all the chapters together. I would have preferred to do this through a private message, but since you chose to remain in the anonymity provided by the site, you don't leave me another choice.

I'll try not to get too specific about technicalities of the story and its plot, because it's evident you haven't been reading or following it. I would love for you to explain me how was it possible that Monserrat, littlerichellemead, the author of the story, made Adrian so "out of character", given it's her story and basically, the characters can't be out of character because they're hers. And if you were referring to making him out of character compared to the books, well, you're in the wrong site.

There's one thing that made me laugh despite all this show of yours you're trying to pull for your 30 seconds of fame. "You are trying to paint him in bad light (clumsily and awkwardly, I might add) and the fact that he has appeared as a good character until now just makes this whole choking-Rose-to-death things incredibly stupid and out of the blue and, if I'm quite honest, eye-roll worthy." Watch out, we've got a badass over here.

"A drunk and unstable Adrian - at least the Adrian YOU'VE created in this story - would neverevereverever do that, […]" I'd love to know how you know what this Adrian would and would not do, and not the author. Oh yes, we've noticed that you've been a big fan of the story, this lovely review sure seconds your words.

Let's acknowledge some of the mistakes you've made when you wrote this. First, they do not fall in love suddenly. Of course, you'd know that if you paid to the story half the attention you paid to your ever-intimidating shouty capitals which, by the way, are amusing when the person says something funny, but since this is not the case, they are rude and only accentuate your ignorance regarding the story. The two of them falling in love was a process that took many chapters. And it was the first problem you had. Honey, you should have stopped reading the story then, it would have saved you the time you wasted trying to understand how they "suddenly" fell in love. And yes, she wanted to sleep with him; maybe you've heard of the term "sexual attraction", though I highly doubt it. I feel you're at a big disadvantage here, because you have no idea what you're talking about.

And yes, Adrian was a good, honest and kind person, then he was not, but that is because the author wanted it that way. "[…] the fact that Rose was supposedly completely in love with him and completely in loathe with Dimitri, and the fact that you gave the viewers no way to see how you would ever develop her feelings for Dimitri in a way THAT MADE SENSE AND WAS LINEAR." Woah. I wasn't aware a person could have so many grammatical and punctuation mistakes in one sentence. Let's just focus on the mistakes you made regarding the story and its plot, though. Yes, Rose was in love with Adrian at first. She hated Dimitri. Her feelings developed slowly and steadily, it made perfect sense, was linear and the author let the readers know by writing and publishing the chapters. Surprising, isn't it?

"But hey, at least YOU'VE TOLD US THAT THEY'RE MEANT TO FALL IN LOVE. AT LEAST YOU'VE TOLD US OUTSIDE OF THE STORY, AS IF YOUR STORY COULDN'T TELL US THAT ITSELF, WHICH CLEARLY IT COULDN'T." Again, your inconsequential and abusive use of capitals is pitiful and pathetic. We all knew they were going to fall in love because we all read this funny thing below the summary that indicates the genre of the story and the characters featuring in it. Let me be more specific: Genre: Angst/Romance. Characters: Rose H. & Dimitri B. If you read that before start reading every story, then you could make out your own conclusions and decide if the story is worthy of your ever-present attention and critic-worthy judgment. And the story tells it because well, it's primarily what it's about, they falling in love and fighting for it.

Having said all this, I would prefer it if you stopped being a coward and had in the future something else to say, said it through PM to either Monserrat, littlerichellemead or me, ComradeInLOVE. Insulting someone's work anonymously doesn't talk seriously about yourself to begin with. And just so it's even more evident, you're the only one talking so lowly of the story. Which takes us to the only logical conclusion: you have no the slightest idea what you're talking about and just try to give yourself importance by trashing the story over facts that only you know about and are not part of the story itself.

We respect good and constructive criticism and good-hearted reviews. If you have a nasty comment to say, don't say it, and if you so badly need to, PM us. Because we will not tolerate nor accept this kind of insult. We work hard and put a lot of effort into this. If you don't like it, we won't make you, and it'll be fine as long as you don't say anything offensive. But don't insult us or our work.

And now, dear "Guest", you better not keep with this shit, and if you want to say something else, PM us and we'll be glad to make you see reason. Please, try to write more clearly next time, if there is a next time, because it's hard to understand half of the things you said. Cut the I-should-be-a-renowned-critic-due-to-my-superior-i ntelect-and-vast-knowledge asshole bullshit, and if you insult us, at least make sense. In the end, you only provide an existence to make fun of. It was even unfeasible to relate the facts you stated to the story. Honestly, I don't put up with idiots like you, and Monse doesn't neither. Stop being so focused on yourself and at least get the facts right the next time you go insulting people's hard work. So yes, "Guest", you know where you can stick your review, which would be the only utilitarian use you could give it.


	35. Reunion

**AN: Romi and I know y'all love us, and we appreciate it. But I think you're about to really adore us for not leaving you hanging for so long ;) hehe I kid. But seriously, Romi and I thank you once more for all the support! :) To guest RozaNessa, you are incredibly sweet as are all of you! Thanks for sharing where you are from. And now, we should follow on RozaNessa's footsteps and do a ROLL CALL! It's a bit overdue really. I, littlerichellemead, am originally from Mexico but have lived in the US for about ten years now. Romi, ComradeInLOVE, is from beautiful Argentina! Represent people! :D**

* * *

_Rose_

People will lie. That is a fact of life; those who swear to love us will be the ones to lie the most. Perhaps they lie to spare us pain, or most of the time, they'll lie to save their skin. My parents faked my mother's death to spare me pain. The pain of seeing my mother transform into a bloodthirsty beast with no self-control. That still doesn't make their lie any less painful or fine, but I can see why they did it. In this case, I can't see how Dimitri's lie spared me any pain. In fact, he lied to save his own life, literally. He swore he loved me, but I now know it's not true. He made me fall in love, so I would give up my life for him.

"You know that is not true, Rosemarie. Deep inside, you know Dimka loves you more than anyone in this world." Yeva says from the foot of the bed where she stands with both of her shaking hands holding her cane.

"He has a distinctive way of showing it," I mutter hating how stuffy my voice sounds. But I have been crying for two days now.

Two days. It has been two days since I had my big revelation and talk with Dimitri. At first he was speechless, staring open-mouthed and wide eyed at me. Then, he couldn't get the words out fast enough. At least he had the decency not to deny that the only way to break his curse is with my death. He had tried to pull me into his arms, but I was disgusted. I am not disgusted at him. I know that if he had forcefully kissed me or touched me in any way, I would have melted right into his arms. He didn't force himself upon me, though. In fact, for the most part he has given me my space since he saw the disgusted scowl make its way to my lips.

"Roza, you have to understand…" He pleaded as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration that his ploy had been discovered and ruined no doubt.

"I have to understand what?" I cut him off icily narrowing my eyes on him with my hands on my hips. "I have to understand you want my life? Tell me, how did you plan to take it? Were you going to murder me in the middle of the night like you did with your own father?" I knew that was a low blow, but I was seething. Still, when I saw Dimitri's eyes flash with several emotions ranging from guilt, hatred, and anger, I knew I struck a sensitive chord.

In three long strides, he was in front of me, practically spitting fire. His hands reached out for my arms, but I glared at him with the same intensity his eyes looked at me. "Touch me, and I will break every single bone in your hands." I said gritting my teeth.

"I would never hurt you," he said with the same venom though behind that fury I could see how painful this situation was for him.

"Guess what? Too late. You have already hurt me." I stepped away from him when the stinging in my eyes became unbearable. My vision started to go blurry because of the coming tears, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing exactly how much I was hurting. He wouldn't see my tears. I swallowed the knot in my throat and locked the tears away. "You lied." I snapped over my shoulder.

"About what exactly?" The anger hadn't completely left him, but I could tell he was close to breaking again. His light and careful steps moved towards me by the fireplace. I crossed my arms when he stopped next to me keeping a safe distance where I couldn't break his bones.

"About your so called love for me," I didn't look away from the flames. I didn't want to see the truth reflected in his eyes: he never loved me. Everything we did and said meant nothing to him. Every sweet moment we shared was perfectly arranged to fool me, to make me love him irrevocably.

Again, his hands reached out to me. More specifically to my cheek where I could feel a treacherous tear making a path down my cheek. Once more, I turned away and began to walk out when his next words stopped me.

"I never lied about that, Roza." His voice was broken. There was none of that previous fury in his voice, only pain. "I love you, Rose."

I shook my head and was about to keep walking when I felt his figure behind me. He was oh so close that I could feel his body heat and his breath on my neck sending pleasant shivers down my spine. Despite knowing of his lie, how can I still love him? How can I still desire him? For a while, he didn't say anything, and I didn't move. I couldn't move. I was frozen in place barely able to breathe with his body so close to mine. Every nerve in my body was screaming for his touch, his lips against mine, his hands exploring every inch of my body… His hand suddenly moved towards me.

"Do not." I whispered breathlessly, and he immediately dropped his hand. "Do not touch me."

"I gave you my heart," he whispered sounding just as short of breath as I felt. His words brought back a clear memory of when he returned with his many gifts including his heart. I recalled how sincere and in love he sounded when he offered me his heart and said I could do with it whatever I wanted. I swore I would never hurt him, but he didn't make the same vow. Now here we are: both of us broken. Before I could protest, his hand grabbed mine, and he placed our hands over his heart. I could feel it beating like a drum. "My heart is yours, Roza. All of me is yours. I love you like I have not loved anyone in a long time. Feel my heart beat? It beats for you, Roza. Only for you. _Believe me_."

As he proclaimed his love for me, I kept my back to him, my eyes shut as the tears began to flow without my permission. I'm sure if I had turned around to look at him, I would have seen his face twisted in anguish and his eyes pleading me to believe him because he is telling the truth. I didn't want to see any of that because I would have broken down. I would have run into his arms and forgiven him for everything. But that's what he wanted. He wants me to break and give the last thing I have left to give: my life. Instead, I snatched my hand away and stalked out of the room.

"Well, I do not." I shouted over my shoulder before slamming the door shut.

He came after me, but by then I was locked up in Viktoria's room. Because I knew he'd come, I moved a heavy wardrobe to bar the door. Of course Dimitri could bring the door and wardrobe down, but he didn't. Mason had come then and convinced him to give me some space. When they left, I slid down the wall and gave the sobs free reign.

"You are crying for no reason," Yeva had appeared then, shaking her head but offering me a handkerchief all the same. "I thought the huntress did not cry."

"I break too," I had said through the tears and taking the handkerchief to wipe my nose. "I am not made of stone, you know."

"You are not made of stupid either," she had rolled her eyes.

It has been pretty much the same for the past two days. She insults me or says something expecting me to sit up and rip her throat out. But I'm not in the mood. Her chiding rolls right off me. Sometimes I do reply curtly and scream at her to leave, but she never does. By now, I am used to her presence and find myself feeling less lonely and broken in a foreign place I began to consider home until it turned out to be my tombstone.

"You are very dramatic," Yeva sighs loudly and moves to sit on the foot of the bed. "Your thoughts are not of a mature woman, but of a child. Are you a child?"

"No one is inviting you into my thoughts. If you do not like them, get out, _witch." _I snap pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them.

"I can hardly leave now. Everything is going to hell." She huffs and glares at me as if this whole thing is my fault. "Of course it is your fault!" She shouts shaking her head. "If only you talked to Dimka, this would be solved very quickly. But you are as stubborn as Ivashkov, perhaps more."

I frown wondering again how Adrian and Yeva became acquainted. Somehow, he has contact with the witch too, but why? What does Adrian have to do with any of this?

"We all have a part to play in this story," she smiles slyly, her hand smoothing down her floor length skirt, which looks as if it has been used for quite some time. It's not torn or dirty, just looks like it has been put to good use. Briefly, I wonder where she lives. Suddenly, she starts laughing making me jump a little. "You are strange. Worrying about trivial things instead of worrying about how you will break this curse."

I arch my left eyebrow the way Dimitri showed me and glare incredulously at the witch. "I know how to break the curse: with my death." I murmur darkly.

"I never took you for a quitter, Rosemarie. I always thought zmey's daughter was more of a fighter. My sister, Rhonda, did not save your life for no reason when you broke your neck." She snorts and shakes her head. Yeva really likes shaking her head at me just as much as she likes to sigh, if not more.

"She saved my life?" I ask bewildered. I never considered the possibility that Yeva or her sister would have been the ones to save me. But then again, it makes sense. I wasn't supposed to die then. I am supposed to die now.

"I am insulted and so is the memory of my sister. She saved you, so you could…"

"Die at the right time." I finish for her, staring at nothing in specific. "I just want to know, why me? Why my life? I do not want to die. I want to live with my loved ones. I just found my mother is alive! Despite the lie, I wish to see her before…"

"You think you have been lied to by the entire world!" Yeva interrupts with a humorless laugh. She rises from her spot and makes her way slowly toward me sitting in the middle of the bed, resting my chin on my knees. "Everyone lies. No one is ever fully sincere, but you are a fool if you expect them to be. You are a little fool if you are going to spend your life upset at people for lying. You are going to ruin the beautiful love you have with Dimka."

"If I am a fool, you are a heartless witch." With fury boiling my blood and fisting my hands, I turn to glare at her sitting to my right. "How dare you demand my life for the breaking of the curse? You have no right!"

It takes me by surprise when Yeva just smiles satisfied at something she sees in me. For the first time in two days or since I have known her, Yeva nods her head in approval. "There it is. The fire everyone marvels at whenever they see you. That is a conversation I must have with Dimka present. I do not think he fully understands why I made the curse this way." Once more, she gets up from the bed, with more difficulty than before as her hands and legs tremble. "Let us find him."

I snort and return my chin to my knees. "I'm not talking to him anytime soon. Forget it, witch. I do not wish to hear more of his lies."

Whatever I did right before is now forgotten as Yeva sighs disapprovingly and shakes her head, this time going as far as pinching the bridge of her nose the way Dimitri does when he's frustrated. Their resemblance is obvious by the little gestures, such as the way Yeva raises her eyebrow. I'm sure Dimitri learned it from her. Then, their eyes are complete mirrors: a warm chocolate brown.

"Do you honestly believe your life would have been much better if everyone was honest with you? Knowing your mother is alive and a werewolf, would that have made you feel less pain? She might as well have been dead. You could not speak to her or of her. You would have had to lie to the world about her death. No matter what, your life would have turned out the same."

I consider her words. If I had known my mother was alive, I would have still become a huntress, a hateful huntress seeking revenge for the fate of my mother. My revenge would have led me to Dimitri, eventually. And I would be here. Lies or no lies from my parents, the outcome would have been the same. Still, that doesn't soften the blow of Dimitri's lie. He doesn't truly love me. It's all because a stupid curse that can only be broken with my life.

"After all he has done for you…"

"What has he done for me exactly?" I laugh bitterly without glancing in her direction. "He tore me away from my family. And now he wants me to die."

I swear I can hear the witch gritting her teeth. She says something in Russian, an expletive I think, and I hide my smile. I managed to make her lose her temper.

"To start off," she says sounding awfully calm despite the fact that I can see how rigid she is standing out of the corner of my eye, "he saved your life when you stupidly ran away and the rogues attacked. He had your damn horse buried, brought you many gifts, has treated you as the lady of the Belikov domain, has given you his whole heart and soul, and he is currently moving the heavens and oceans to find your loved ones. Do you still think he does not love you?"

Throughout the two days Yeva has kept me company, she hasn't easily rendered me speechless. I always have something to say. Usually it's a smartass comment that has nothing to do with our conversations, which always revolve around my stupidity and Dimitri, I simply don't shut my mouth. Until now. I have nothing to say to her because I knew Dimitri had sent pack members to find my parents and friends. I expected it was to keep up with the show that he loves me. Now, he has no reason to keep looking for them, except trying to win me over, but he knows me well. He knows I won't break easily. I won't forgive easily. I spent five years hating him for something that was out of his control. I could be upset with him for keeping this secret for the rest of my life.

"Is he… is he really trying to find my family?" I ask cautiously. Like a scared dove moving toward an extended hand offering food, I slowly get up from the bed and hug one of the bed posts. Biting my lower lip, I look curiously at Yeva, who has this knowing glint in her eyes. "Why?"

"Why? _Why?_" She shakes her head though I can see an amused smile on her dry lips. "I was wrong. You are made of stupid. Because he loves you, Rosemarie, that is why he is looking for your family."

Before I reply to her insult, a small, barely audible knock interrupts my bickering with Yeva. I groan and lower myself roughly on top of the bed with my arms crossed. I'd bet the entire Mazur fortune and lands that the person behind that door is none other than my Russian jailer and now executioner. Yeva groans at my thoughts and looks up at the heavens again as if asking God what has she done to deserve my company. I roll my eyes and ignore her.

"Rose?" Mason says tentatively rasping the door gently like a cat. "I, uh, brought you some food? You have not eaten in days. Please, eat." Well, I was wrong. It is not my jailer but his loyal servant.

"Tell him to shove his food up his ass," I mutter though I know Mason will hear. Dimitri finally got the hint that I don't want him near me or my door. Now he has decided to send Mason to do the dirty work for him. "And you, stop being his little bitch." I suppose even Mason knew of the curse, and he didn't bother to tell me. I thought we were friends. I can't trust anyone it seems.

"That is it," Yeva snaps, striding purposefully toward the wardrobe still blocking the door. For an old lady, she looks quite sturdy right now. In fact, what she does next takes me by such surprise that I let out a small shriek and take a step back at the sight of her magic. Yeva splits the damn wardrobe in half with a single touch of her cane. "Do not just stand there. Go get her, moron!" She shouts to an open mouthed Mason.

That's when I turn tail and run toward the bathroom. When I look over my shoulder, I let out another shriek and run faster seeing Mason chasing after me. Sadly, the bathroom does not have a door, so I am cornered in a room with no exit except a window more than fifty feet high. Still, I am not about to go down so easily. Grabbing a bar of soap, I throw it at Mason missing him by a long shot. For several minutes, I throw stuff at him, but he always dodges. Eventually, he lunges at me from across the tub and instead of me hitting the floor, Mason manages to maneuver us, so he's on the floor, his arms wrapped around me.

"I hate you," I say for the thousandth time as Mason carries me over his shoulder to Dimitri's study. "We are no longer friends. Next time I have my swords in my hands, I will cut your di-"

"What is the meaning of this?" Dimitri cuts off my threat, and it takes all of me not to kick Mason in the gut and run to my jailer because he sounds so broken. So defeated. But I am upset with him, extremely so for keeping monumental secrets from me.

"She was not eating, she refuses to talk to you, and so I decided it was time to intervene." Yeva says smugly walking in after Mason and me. "She resisted a little. You are welcome."

Mason sets me down only after the doors have been shut. When I turn around, Yeva is sitting on one of the plush sofas while behind the desk, Dimitri stands hands limp at his side, hair greasy and falling over his face, clothes dirty and wrinkled; and Galina next to him, her hand on his shoulder. My eyes narrow on her hand and I cross my arms over my chest.

"You move fast, Comrade. I do not hate you for more than two days, and you already have a whore to replace me." Everyone holds their breath, even Galina before her eyes harden and she growls. Yeva, on the other hand, throws her head and laughs.

"Rose…"

"Oh, I am not 'Roza' anymore? I thought you loved me." I fake pout my lips. "Oh, right. You do not love me. You just want my life."

"Oh, shut up," Yeva shakes her head then turns her head to Dimitri. "Get her out of here before you anger the huntress even more."

Dimitri turns to Galina and with a single jerk of his head, she leaves. On her way out, Galina makes sure to shot me a death glare. I can only chuckle and feel sorry for her. She will never have Dimitri even if I'm gone. I will make sure of that. Once she is gone leaving Yeva, Mason, Dimitri and me, all eyes turn to me, they watch me warily as if expecting me to set fire to the damn room.

"Come sit, child. Let us straighten this mess before it is too late." Yeva taps the seat next to her with her cane.

At first, I don't move. In fact, no one moves; they just stare expectantly at me. There's no way out of this talk, but I might as well get this over with. I take my own sweet time, though. First, I look at Mason, standing behind me, expecting me to run out, which I would but I know he'll just chase me again. Then I look at Dimitri; he looks like he hasn't slept in two days, which he probably hasn't. The bags under his eyes are proof of that. His eyes though, seem to light up when he looks at me like the Sun has finally come out. I forcefully shove that thought deep inside; however, Yeva's words that he's intensely looking for my family comes back full force nearly bringing me to tears. I've done enough crying, though. It's time to get answers and figure out a way out. I move slowly toward the chair Yeva is reserving for me. A ghost of a smile appears on Dimitri's lips as I gingerly take a seat. He follows to sit when he sees I'm not bolting out.

Awkward silence settles between us, and I try my best to avoid Dimitri's burning gaze. He hasn't taken his eyes off me since I came in, perhaps only to motion to Galina to leave. The thought of her hand on his shoulder makes my blood boil and my hands to tingle wishing to strangle her. I cross my arms to stop them from strangling anyone. Given that I was almost strangled, I know it is not a pleasant feeling. When I can't take the thick silence anymore, I turn to Yeva as if expecting her to say something.

"I am just here to mediate," she shrugs reading my thoughts. "You two need to work this out."

"I think he is fine with not working this out," I pause to clear my throat and watch Dimitri's hands ball into fists out of the corner of my eye. "I die; he finds solace in Galina."

To my surprise, Dimitri unclenches his hands and smiles widely. "You are jealous."

I snort. "Of course I am jealous. Even though you do not love me, that does not mean I am not a little fool in love with _you_ despite everything."

Dimitri doesn't seem to care that my tone is uncaring or that I finally meet his eyes only to glare at him because he's smiling. Why is he smiling when I'm being awful? I turn my head away when that smile just gets wider as he leans back on his chair.

"You love me," his happiness seems to fade as a deep frown forms. "I do love you, Roza. What do you want me to do to prove it?"

"You can start by telling me why you kept this to yourself? I asked you many times if there was a way to break the curse, and you never told me. I thought between us should not be any secrets." I can't keep the pitiful and pained tone off my voice. Dimitri hears it clearly, and I don't know what possesses him to come near me when I'm clearly still upset. He kneels next to my chair.

"I did not want to tell you because I did not consider your death a way to break the curse." He pauses closing his eyes and grimacing at something he must have just thought of. "I did consider it at some point, but let me finish before you decide to hate me. Back then, I was a fool, Roza. I still am. Two centuries have taught me nothing. I thought I could trick you into loving me then die for me. Of course, I did not count on me being in love with you. I denied my feelings for you for years. Now I see," he turns to Yeva and smiles sadly. "I see why you did what you did."

Yeva's eyes widen then she nods appreciatively, clearly she understands what the hell Dimitri is talking about because I am absolutely lost. "You are a smart boy; you always have been. I knew you would figure it out."

"It took me some time." He smiles sheepishly looking down at his hands suddenly resting on my knees. "I was angry because I did not understand, but now that I do…"

"Can someone explain to me what is going on? I am very lost here." I shot up from my seat still resisting his touch because I am so close to breaking. I miss Dimitri. I miss his lips and the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me keeping me safe. I take to pacing again; Mason keeping his eyes on me just in case.

Dimitri gets up too briefly sharing a knowing look with Yeva, who nods and leans back on her seat. Slowly, Dimitri makes his way to me and gently grabs my hand to keep me from pacing. I don't protest to him intertwining our hands. He swallows several times, never taking his eyes away from our laced hands.

"The reason Babushka changed the curse, so you had to die for me is because I had to realize that life without my beauty is no life at all." He pauses to look into my eyes. They glisten with unshed tears and involuntarily I reach out with my free hand to caress his cheek in a soothing manner. Dimitri closes his eyes and leans into my touch and steps toward me, closing the distance between us. "I do not…"

Whatever he is about to say is cut off by the doors opening abruptly followed by an Earth shattering shriek. As I whip my head around, my vision is clouded by a platinum blonde mane and small, frail arms wrap around my neck hugging me so tightly I can hardly breathe. Instinctively, I return the embrace and hide my teary face in my best friend's dirty and bloodied hair. Lissa and I shake with the happy sobs of being reunited. I pull away from her to seek out Dimitri; he is standing a long distance from us, almost by the door. His lips are turned upwards in a gentle and happy smile. He is happy for me; he is happy that I am happy.

"Thank you," I mouth to him, and I realize I'm not that angry anymore. How can I be angry at the person that just made me complete again? Maybe I was never truly angry, just disappointed that just when everything is going so well for us, our love is doomed to end. I decide not to dwell on that for now. Tomorrow I might die, but in the meantime, I'm going to live and love.

As a response, Dimitri bows as his smile widens. The heavy burden of exhaustion lift off his features, and he looks young again. Before I say anything else, Lissa demands my attention.

"Rose," she sniffs and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "Oh my God. You are alive! You are fine! Thank God! We were so worried. Your Dad… And Adrian… Eddie… Oh God, Rose…"

"I know, Liss," I kiss her forehead and hug her again. "I know about everything. We will figure this out. I promise."

She hesitates, dubious that we'll figure everything out. She bites her lip and looks everywhere but at me. Several times she opens and closes her mouth that I begin to fear the worst: my mother is dead. In fact, they are all dead because, where is everyone? How is only she here? The air begins to thin, and I feel the world spinning around me. Dimitri seems to notice before anyone else, because he is suddenly at my side, both hands on my waist. As the dark spots dance in my vision, I see Lissa's eyes widen when she sees my friendliness with the beast I swore to hate. Then a weak voice that I would recognize anywhere keeps me from succumbing to the darkness threatening to take me under again.

"Rose," a single word, yet powerful enough to bring life to me. I race toward my mother lying on a stretcher carried by my father and Christian.

"Mom." I crumble to my knees when I see her bloodied and weak yet smiling more radiantly than the shinning Sun on a bright spring day. "Mom." I grip her pale hand and begin to weep.


	36. Requests

**AN: I'll never get tired of saying this: always thanks to Romi, for betaing; you're super badass! And to all of you beautiful readers! We have received 109 reviews in the last couple of chapters. Say what?! And that's not even subtracting guest reviews. Unfortunately, I slacked off in replying to your reviews, and I can't seem to catch up. This time, I'll try to reply to them as they come! To answer a couple previous comments:**

**No, Dimitri did not sleep with Galina. As Romi said to me, Dimitri's ****penis wouldn't even respond if it wasn't Rose XP**

**Yes, the hater got us all worked up, but please don't bring innocent cats or any other animal into this. Poor creatures shouldn't be subjected to be in the presence of such hateful person.**

**Yes, I am planning on writing more VA based stories :D If you ask Romi, I started a draft of chapter one of the new story ;) **

**Someone asked if Rose was pregnant? No, she is not.**

**Well, that's a long ass note. Ok, I'll shut up for now.**

* * *

_Dimitri_

"How did this happen?" Roza's voice is thick with sharp fury and despair as she gazes at her mother lying on the bed and being healed by Sydney. I see where Roza gets her strength. Janine hides the pain well with exception of a couple grimaces and low groans.

A few minutes ago, Arthur arrived victoriously from the two-day search of Rose's family. He informed me they were found in Omsk not too far from Baia. Obviously, Mazur and his companions engaged in a fight with my wolves, but it was brief. All Arthur had to do was mention Rose, and they ceased all fighting and reluctantly followed the pack here. The first one to embrace Rose was her friend, Lady Dragomir. My chest swelled with a happiness I hadn't felt since Ivashkov showed up and Roza found out about the curse. But seeing my love weeping with joy at being reunited with her loved ones made me forget how everything between us seems to be going straight to hell. For now, it's all about reassuring Roza of my love for her. Reuniting her with her family is a good start. However, since our guests arrived, I haven't had the time to speak to her. After kneeling by her mother's side in the ballroom, Roza couldn't stop weeping and kissing her mother's hand. I felt helpless watching her mother bleed to death due to several wounds. I didn't want Roza to suffer so, nor her mother, but by the way Zmey and Lord Ozera glared, I couldn't go anywhere near them.

Arthur made sure to strip the hunters and guardians off their weapons, but I got the feeling Zmey would rip my head off with his bare teeth if I approached his daughter and wife. It took a lot of begging on Rose's part to even convince her father to allow Sydney to care for Janine. Eventually, Mazur accepted, and we relocated to one of the many guest rooms. Since then, Rose hasn't moved from the bedside where Sydney cleans Janine's wounds. Mazur lurks close by, his hands rub his daughter's shoulders in the hopes of providing comfort. Ozera, Lord and Lady Dragomir also sit close by whispering among each other and shooting wary glances in my direction. Mason and Arthur stand near me, both alert in case a fight breaks out. I doubt it. Everyone seems relieved to have found Rose unhurt, as far as they can see because I know I have hurt her emotionally when I kept secrets from her. I suppress the urge to approach Rose and solicit a couple of minutes with her. Babushka may have disappeared as soon as Lissa entered the room, but Roza and I still have things to work out such as the pest Ivashkov has become, and the fact that I will not allow the curse to claim her life. However, she has far more things to work out with her family.

"Edison," Mazur explains as his eyes harden when he recollects how his wife was injured. I can understand his anger; I am holding back marching down to the dungeons and skinning Ivashkov for his blasphemous attempt at murdering my Roza. Just thinking of him and the conversation he had with Roza makes my hands tingle with fury and desire to break his neck. I hold off my murdering thoughts for the moment since I am genuinely curious as to what happened with the rogues. "He turned on us one night. Ivashkov warned us he would, but we did not listen. We should have burned Castile when we had the chance." The last words come out in a growl.

"Abe," Janine protests weakly from the bed as Sydney bandages her bleeding neck.

"Old Man," Rose chastises at the same time her mother speaks. "Eddie is being controlled by Isaiah."

The room falls silent at the mention of the despicable beast. I notice Ozera and Lissa exchange a puzzled look. They must be surprised Rose is not rallying them up for battle against us. Or they must wonder why I'm not dead yet. Briefly, I ponder how they'll react to the sudden twist of the beauty falling deeply in love with the beast. After the way Roza reacted to Ivashkov's appearance, I considered the idea that she never loved me, and she held feelings for him. But thinking back on the way Roza confronted Ivashkov proclaiming her love for me, I can say with certainty that she loves me intensely so. How could I lie to her then? I should have told her from the beginning everything; it would have avoided all this heartache. Ozera clears his throat demanding Rose's attention and getting mine in the process as well.

"Who is Isaiah? He is the rogue, correct? How are you on a first name basis with him?" Suspicious, he narrows his eyes on Rose. Mason hears the low growl building up in my chest, and he has to nudge in the ribs to remind me I can't rip anyone apart or Roza will never forgive me. Instead, I clear my throat softly and ball my fists behind my back digging my nails into the flesh of my palms to control my anger.

"He tried to kill me," Rose replies icily, also narrowing her eyes on Ozera. "That brought us to first name basis." Her eyes briefly meet mine, but she quickly looks away.

She seems to be avoiding all contact with me as if afraid her family will realize we're in love. I can understand why she's keeping a distance. If we show her family too much, I doubt they will be welcoming towards me. I have killed many people, people they loved, so I am not the perfect suitor for Rose Mazur, of that I am aware. And so is her father. Once he finds out, he will try to kill me, and I'll have to defend myself. Nothing good will come out of that fight because he will be end up hurt, not me.

"Isaiah seems to be the leader of the rogues. For so long we thought they had none, not even the crusaders could control them; we have seen how easily the rogues turn on their allies. However, they follow Isaiah unconditionally because they have no option. He seems to have some sort of compulsion over them. At the moment, Eddie is not Eddie but a puppet, and it is not his fault." She glares at her father, who puts his hands up in the air as if surrendering. "What I want to know is what happened? How did Mom end up fighting Eddie?"

Everyone falls silent again except for the shallow breathing of several people, Sydney's movements, and occasional hissing from Janine as Sydney tends to the wounds on Janine's stomach. No one meets Roza's eyes, and they seem to pretend they didn't hear her. I imagine they must want to spare her the details to avoid hurting her feelings. But I have learned that keeping secrets damage a relationship. I had to learn that the hard way several times. I'll be damned if I let her family lose the love Rose has for them.

"I believe she asked you all several questions," I snap too roughly. "She deserves answers." Not just from them, but from me as well but one step at a time.

Ozera, who had been picking at the dry blood on his armor, turns his hate filled glare on me and snorts disdainfully. "You have no business here, Belikov. Do you not have a village to terrorize?"

Mason and Arthur stiffen at my side. Mason goes as far as baring his teeth while Ozera and his companions tense their hands flying to their hips where their swords should be.

"Christian," Rose says through her teeth before I snap his neck. "His wolves found you and brought you safely here to me, to his castle. Have a little respect and gratitude."

Ozera's cheeks blush with embarrassment and perhaps anger at being chastised in front of us all. "Respect? Gratitude? Yes, my sword and I will show him the gratitude and respect he deserves! He has murdered thousands of us, and here you are defending him? What the hell has happened to you, Rose?" His eyes flash with anger and even concern.

All eyes turn to Rose expecting her to answer the question that has no doubt been bothering them for some time now. What has made Rose change so drastically? And even though, I don't like the way Ozera talks to her, Rose meets my eyes briefly telling me to stay out of this, so I do because she can handle the situation better than I can.

"I am aware of his crimes, and the amount of people we have lost. They have lost people too." She visibly swallows a knot in her throat possibly thinking of Alberta. "But I think we ought to be united at the moment. We have a common enemy: Isaiah. He and his beasts are the true monsters. Dimitri has been nothing but hospitable and kind to me. Now, please. Will someone tell me what happened to my mother?"

Silence settles again, thick as smoke smothering us all. I notice Lady Dragomir's eyes flashing between Rose and me, but most of the time she watches me curiously as if trying to decipher something. Or perhaps wondering if I am worthy of Rose? Does she have a faint idea of what has happened between her best friend and me? Has she pieced the pieces of the riddle Babushka gave to her and Rose months ago? Unsettled, I look away from her hoping she hasn't figured out everything like Rose has.

"Eddie was on edge hours before the attack," Lissa speaks valiantly, and to my relief ceases her scrutiny, despite the glares she receives from Ozera and Mazur. Clearly they all made a covenant not to speak of the collision between the so called Eddie Castile and Janine. "He kept murmuring things like 'get out of my head' and 'everyone will die.'" Lissa swallows back some tears, and I hear Roza do the same as she balls her hands into fists on her lap; her knuckles go a deadly white and her jaw twitches a little. It takes all my restraint not to rush to her side and comfort her. Only when she's ready will we show her loved ones how we truly feel about each other.

"That night was the worst for him." Ozera picks up where Lissa left off. "For all of us. A single rogue showed up. He was different… They all are. Well, I am sure you have seen them. When he stepped into the fire light, we were reminded of how fucking ugly they have gotten." Ozera tries not to shiver, but he does so slightly causing Lissa to hold his hand reassuringly.

"Eddie began to whimper and shake his head as we prepared for battle," Eric Dragomir continues. Now that the covenant is broken, they each add a part to the story. "Before we could touch the red-eyed beast, Eddie fell forward on all fours and began to scream. I am not sure what were louder, his screams or the shattering sound of every bone in his body breaking."

"We did not move." Mazur picks up where Dragomir left off. The Zmey's eyes get a faraway and haunted look as he recalls that night. "We were paralyzed with shock and even fear because suddenly a cold, inhuman voice spoke in our heads. The voice said _'You all will die. Your friend will make sure of that. You know what to do.'_ Then the rogue left and Castile spoke in the same inhuman voice. He told us about Belikov and your whereabouts. _'But you will not be able to save her,'_ he said before turning on your mother and landing the first blow on her neck. We fought hard to keep him away from her while she shifted." He swallows and closes his eyes briefly before turning to Janine with a tortured and pained expression.

His wife smiles gently, her eyelids dropping and her heartbeat slow but steady. She licks her dry lips before picking up on the roughest part of the story. "He kicked my ass. Eddie was much stronger. I was still weakened from our first encounter with the rogues on the first night of the full Moon when he was bitten by the one you call Isaiah. He had immediately lunged for my throat slicing easily. If your father had not distracted him then, he would have ripped my throat wide open. After that, he fought the Guardians easily disposing of them. Thankfully I shifted quick and tangled with Eddie some more. I swapped at him with my paws being careful not to damage too terribly. He was not as considerate, for he dug his claws into my stomach. Before your father or Adrian could slice Eddie's head off, I managed to get through him and suggest he run. I never expected him to follow Isaiah."

As the story of how Janine was hurt progressed, Roza's body tensed with fury, even from a distance I could feel how every muscle in her body clenched ready to jump at any moment to fight. She lowers her head and tries to wipe away her tears discreetly, but when she looks up, her eyes are trimmed with red, a clear indication that she has been weeping. I take an involuntary step forward but catch myself before I make the mistake of wrapping her in my arms and taking her away, somewhere where the pain won't tarnish her happiness. But there's no such place.

"You will recuperate, Mom. And we will get Eddie back; we will kill all the damned rogues." Rose practically growls as her eyes flash with fire capable of consuming every rogue with a single glance.

"I know," Janine replies with a weak though happy smile on her lips and her eyes glisten with tears. "For now, my dear daughter, know that I am very relieved and content to have found you well. I missed you so much, and I am so sorry your father and I had to lie…"

"We can talk about that later," Rose cuts her mother off gently with a loving smile.

"Yes, a story for another time," Abe taps Rose's shoulder demanding his daughter's attention. Once he has it, his lips turn into a hard line and his thick eyebrows meet in a frown. "The story I want to hear is how you ran into the rogues, and how did you find out about your mother? Did Adrian find you? Where is he?"

The uncomfortable silence returns and this time, Rose and I are the ones avoiding all eye contact. I wouldn't mind telling Mazur exactly where Ivashkov is and what he did to earn a luxurious stay in my dungeons, or what I intend to do with the man who attempted to murder his daughter and the love of my life. However, that is a horror story that belongs to Roza, and she will decide when and how to tell them. Taking a deep, cleansing breath and briefly meeting my eyes, Roza begins the story. She starts on our days traveling across Russia, and I come to find she left a trail of bloodied clothes to help Ivashkov find her. I try not to dwell on that, since back then we didn't exactly get along, and she wished to go back home to the man she thought she loved. Roza is brief in her explanation of how she escaped from me. Then, she retells the night of the attack, and I swear I am reliving it all again. I can hear Roza's pained, incoherent scream echo all around me like it did before. I feel the terror grip my heart like it did that night wondering if I would arrive in time.

Thankfully, she doesn't dwell too much on the details, simply explaining the role Eddie played in the ambush, and the fact that we lost my aunt. When she comes to the days we have spent loving each other, she blushes and falls silent, her head bent down looking at her interlaced hands on her lap. If I didn't know any better, I would say she is ashamed of us or perhaps reevaluating the decision to love me. No one moves a muscle as they wait for the rest of story, no doubt expecting something worse. Outside, the birds chirp the last song of the day as the setting sun casts a deep golden light mixed with warm oranges and reds. Nightfall is fast approaching.

"Ivashkov arrived some time later," all eyes turn to me. They all mirror the same emotion, surprise that I have dared speak and that I am still in the room. Rose, on the other hand, pleads with me to keep what Ivashkov has done a secret. And I concede, rather grudgingly, for reasons I am unsure of. "He attacked my people and earned himself a one way ticket to my dungeons. Now, I believe Lady Mazur needs to rest. Sydney, take our guests to their respective chambers."

Rose lets out a breath she has been holding, and her body relaxes immensely. "I agree. Mom needs to rest."

"We are not separating," Ozera jumps out of his seat next to Lissa and glares warily at Sydney, which is ridiculous. Sydney wouldn't hurt a fly unless that fly threatened to murder all of those she loves, then she would crush that fly without a second thought. "How do we know she or anyone here will not slaughter us once we are alone? We are unarmed and…"

"No need for weapons because no one will be harmed in my castle," the words come out as a snarl which I tried to hold back, but they can't simply insult my pack or me in my own home. "I give you my word." I add hastily to stifle any tension building up for the sake of Rose.

Still dubious, Ozera meets his companion's eyes before settling on Rose. For a couple of seconds, they stare at each other as if communicating. Ozera frowns deeply then shakes his head. "I do not trust him." He jerks his chin in my direction. "But I trust Rose."

And like that, it seems that any hard feelings between Rose and Ozera are forgotten. Roza gives him a thankful smile and gives Sydney a nod to take them to their respective guest rooms. Ozera takes a deep breath and takes Lissa's hand firmly in his as they quietly leave the room. When Lissa passes Rose, Lissa grasps Roza's hand.

"I need to speak to you," Lissa whispers. "Urgently."

"I know. We will soon." Rose nods, letting go of Lissa's hand. Lord Dragomir and a couple others file out until Mazur, Janine, Mason, Arthur, Rose and I are left.

Mazur leans close to Rose then, and they begin a very hushed conversation I try my best to ignore listening to, but I can't turn off my enhanced hearing.

"… do not know what is happening, Rose." Mazur hisses above Rose's ear. "I hoped you would have figured out a way to kill him by now. Listen, your mother, the only way we can save her is with his death…"

"No," Rose cuts him off sharply but in the same low volume as her father. "His death will bring nothing but…" She takes a deep breath and looks my way. Her lips part in a small smile, and her eyes shine with love. "We need him." She continues this time louder and returning her gaze to her father. "Old Man, the rogues will tear us apart if Dimitri is not our ally."

This time, Mazur doesn't speak quietly either. "With him gone, we will not have to worry about any of the beasts! They will return to their human form, and so will your mother. He needs to die, Rosemarie."

"I said no, Old Man." Rose says firmly and crossing her arms. I notice the way she swallows the knot in her throat. I doubt Rose will tell her father exactly what it'll take to end the curse and set Janine free. I'm sure if Mazur knew his daughter has to die to get his wife back, he wouldn't be so demanding. In fact, I am about to intervene when Rose shakes her head as if reading my mind. "He cannot die. You know so, Baba. Just drop it, all right? We will find a way to make Mom well again."

Suddenly, Roza's eyes widen as if she has figured out all the mysteries in the world. For a second, I wonder what else she could possibly know about me. There is nothing else I'm hiding, so I don't know why I'm suddenly afraid. However, she pushes my fears aside when she steps away from her father and closes the distance between us. Ignoring Mazur's glare, I open my arms for Roza welcoming her home. She steps into my arms and grips my shoulders, her fingers digging into my flesh while her eyes are full of urgency and excitement.

"Can you help my mother?" Her voice is filled with hope, and I know exactly what she will ask me. And even though I have already given half of my strength to Ivan, so he can soon recuperate from the wound Ivashkov inflicted upon him, I will do anything in my power to save Roza's mother. Even if it kills me. "Can you make her part of your pack?"

"Yes," I answer without hesitation and kissing her forehead. "Anything for you, my love."

Mazur lets out a wrathful roar and suddenly, Mason and Arthur are restraining him. I push Rose behind me and face my angry father in law. If this was any other situation, I would laugh at the irony. Another man who passionately hates my kind is my father in law. Focusing on dealing with Mazur, I turn to face him. His face is flushed with anger as he tries to jerk his arms away from Mason and Arthur's hold. He could struggle forever, but the grip of my werewolves is like steel.

"Abe!" Janine shouts weakly from the bed, but she is easily ignored by her husband as he continues to struggle until Arthur punches his stomach, making him bend over and fall on his knees gasping for air.

"Stop!" Rose shouts turning the same shade of crimson as her father. She struggles to step around me, but I hold her back.

"Enough!" I roar causing Mason and Arthur to lower their heads in shame. "Do not touch him again. Mazur…"

"Stay away… from my family." He gasps out, slowly getting to his feet and keeping his murderous glare on me. If looks could kill, I would be dead by now. "Release my daughter!"

Ignoring his command, I pull Rose closer and stare the man down, which is easily accomplished as he is considerably shorter than I am, though not by much. Roza doesn't hesitate to also wrap her hand around me, resting it on my waist, and turning her pleading eyes on her father.

"Baba," she begins softly, but with enough authority in her voice to claim her father's attention. "I love him, and he loves me. One day I will explain everything, but for now please let him heal Mom. He can do it. All he has to do is…"

"I do not care, Rosemarie! You cannot… He killed many people; he doomed your mother to… You simply cannot love him, Rose. You deserve better." Mazur had started out by shouting and pausing to organize his thoughts. When he is done speaking, his voice breaks a little, and I can almost ignore his insult towards me. He is a father concerned that his daughter is in love with a werewolf: a dangerous and terrible monster that has committed many crimes.

"I know you want the best for me, and Dimitri is the best. Adrian… it was never meant to be between us, and now I understand. You and Mom have to understand too that I am happy. Very happy with him." A large tear rolls down her cheek as she makes eye contact with both her father and mother.

"Lord and Lady Mazur," I struggle to keep my tone polite since I haven't dealt with the nobles for so long. But I understand it is imperative that Roza's parents see that I am not a monster. Not anymore. "I understand I have hurt many people. Killed and doomed others to a life like mine. I do not wish upon anyone this fate, and I will do everything I can to help Lady Mazur. Understand that while I am flawed, I love Roza more than anything in this world. No harm will come to her while she is with me, I swear."

Slowly, Ibrahim Mazur turns to face his wife, who still lies on the bed but is attentively watching the scene unfold. Their eyes meet, and Janine breaks into a wide smile, which fills me, and no doubt Roza too, with hope that at least one of her parents will understand.

"They remind me of us," says Janine softly, her own eyes glistening with tears. "My father never liked you."

Ibrahim shakes his head fervently. "I will not let my daughter live the rest of her days tied to a man that doomed you to this life. He could do the same to her!"

"Dimitri would never do such thing!" Roza intervenes with the same ferocity her father is displaying. Daughter of zmey.

I stiffen a little. Mazur is not too far from the truth because if I cannot find another way out of the curse, I will be forced to bite Roza. And then the guilt begins to gnaw at me. Roza is so certain I would never do such thing, but desperate times call for desperate solutions. At this point, I would do anything to keep Roza with me. I will not allow the curse to claim her life. I keep my thoughts to myself because we are trying to convince Ibrahim to allow me to bring Janine into my pack and give her the strength she needs to recuperate because if she doesn't do so on her own, the wounds will become infected, and she will die like Alberta.

"Abe," Janine claims back her husband's attention as well as mine. "We cannot come between them. You remember how hard we fought to be together. Why get in the way of our daughter's happiness the same way my father got in the way of ours? We will only force her to drift away like I did. I cannot lose her again, Abe."

After several seconds of deliberation, Abe nods rather reluctantly. "But this is not the end of this! I will have a talk with you, Rosemarie. And you," he points his finger at me, "you may not be able to die, but I will make you hurt and wish for death."

I simply nod my head instead of describing in detail how I can rip his lungs out through his mouth. But Roza's blinding smile is all the restrain I need. She stands on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek before I step away from her and move toward the bed where Janine lies. Mazur grips my arm as I pass him, and Mason lets out an involuntary growl. I turn my eyes on him to quiet him down.

"What are you going to do to my wife?" Zmey's eyes flash with distrust. Not that I expected any less.

"I will not hurt her," is all I say before I shake his arm off and stand next to Janine. "I must admit I am in awe of you, Lady Mazur. You and your daughter are very much alike, very fierce. You dealt with this for five years alone?"

"I had a bit of help from Oksana and Mark. They kept me locked up and gave me herbs to keep me calm." She says sheepishly, her eyelids drooping heavily.

I nod my head. "Did the rogues ever come for you?"

She frowns at that. "No. Why would they?"

"No reason," I add hastily but not before glancing in Roza's direction; she sighs in relief. She knows how the rogues claim their victims much like they have done with her friend. It is very puzzling that they never went after Janine Mazur. "To become part of my pack, all you have to do is swear fealty to me, and I to you. You swear to obey my every command, and I swear to protect you."

"No," Ibrahim protests stepping forward. "She will not do such thing! You could command her to kill us all!"

"Why would I do that?" A smirk plays on my lips as I consider my next words. "We are family now."

Roza lets out a small laugh which she hides with a cough as soon as her father turns his sharp eyes on her. With no other option and no one to back him up, Mazur turns to his wife, who only nods. To me, she says, "I see you are not so bad, Belikov. Currently, we are suffering the same fate. I understand what you have gone through. Most importantly, you have managed to keep my daughter alive this far. I swear to obey your every command."

"And I, your Alpha, swear to protect you. The pack recognizes you as one of our own." I pause and hesitate before grabbing her hand. Ibrahim inhales sharply just like I thought he would because I am touching his wife. "I will give you part of my strength to heal. Visualize strength as a rope we are both holding. I want you to tug at the rope and…" With my free hand, I grip the bed post as Janine tugs too hard at the hypothetical rope causing my knees to tremble. Before she sucks all my strength away, I pull away and stumble backwards.

Roza and Mason are at my side immediately, holding me up while Arthur tenses ready to prowl at the threat. But there is no threat. I push Mason and Roza gently away. While Mason backs off, Roza doesn't. She grips my arm with too much force, well, too much force for me at the moment. Her delicate features are clouded with worry, and to reassure her, I stand up straighter and smile widely.

"I am fine," I mutter against the soft skin of her forehead. "We must leave your mother to rest."

"Will she be all right now?" She asks, still not fully convinced that I am fine or that her mother will recuperate since she still lies on the bed, only this time sleeping.

"Yes, not immediately. But now the wounds will not become infected. In fact, I daresay they are beginning to heal."

With that, I grab her hand and gently begin to pull her out of the room. Maybe now we can get time alone and finally resolve our issues, though I have the feeling we are closer to sorting them out than before. On our way out, Rose stops to kiss her father's head and asks him to keep her updated on Janine's recovery, and if he needs anything, he can ask any of the pack members for assistance. I try to keep the satisfied smirk off my face as Roza acts like the lady of my castle.

Mason and Arthur go their separate ways once we stand in the hallway outside Janine's room. They must think my life is no longer in danger if there are no hunters around. In the hallway, Roza turns pensive, keeping her head low and looking at her feet move slowly. I tug her hand, turning her to face me. With my right index finger, I tilt her chin up to look into her eyes.

"We need to talk, my love." No more beating around the bush.

She nods and gives me a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Soon. Now, I would like to talk to Lissa. I have not seen her in what feels like centuries." She chuckles just then, but I notice how her eyes look away from mine. She is hiding something.

"Roza…"

"Not now," she snaps and steps away from me. We both stand in awkward silence, avoiding looking at each other. I shouldn't have assumed that things would suddenly get better. We haven't discussed anything at all. Worst of all, I shouldn't be pushing her to talk. "I am sorry." She steps close to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me down for a slow and gentle kiss that builds up like all of our kisses always do.

In her lips, I taste desperation as if she is dying, and I am the only one who can restore back her life. I try not to dwell on that feeling, and concentrate only on Roza. Her body pressed against mine, her hands tangled in my hair, the way my hands mold to the shape of her hips, and her tongue dancing with mine. When our lungs feel like they are going to collapse, we break apart. And before any of us can say a thing, someone clears her throat rather curtly.

"Dimitri," Galina practically spits my name out, and when I turn, I catch her eyes filled with disgust firmly trained on Roza.

"Galina, you realize you are rudely interrupting my lady and me. You better have a good excuse for doing so." For centuries, I have tried to convince Galina to move on because I have no desire to be with her. She doesn't seem to grasp that concept.

Ashamed and chastised, Galina lowers her eyes for a couple of seconds before looking up again. In our native tongue, she informs me that our prisoner requests a word with me. Roza looks suspiciously between us, trying to decipher what Galina just said. Holding back the anger, I tell Galina to inform Ivashkov that I will meet him in five minutes. Knowing she is dismissed, Galina walks away. Rose opens her mouth to question the exchange, no doubt, but I don't let her get the words out.

"I have some matters to attend to," I tell Roza leaning forward to kiss her hands. "I will look for you once I am done."

As I turn to leave hastily, Rose grasps my hand pulling me back. For a couple of seconds she inspects my face before speaking.

"Is something wrong?" She asks warily narrowing her eyes on me, daring me to lie. And so I do.

"No." I smile as confidently as I can, though I am unsettled that Ivashkov would even dare demand an audience with me. I hide my surprise behind a wide smile and gently pinch her cheek. "Nothing wrong. Nothing too important. However, you should see your friend. I love you."

"I love you too," she calls after me, but I am already halfway down the hallway, and I dare not look back because she will see the murderous glint in my eyes. It doesn't matter for what reason Ivashkov has requested to meet me. Tonight, he dies.

_Lissa_

Lissa Dragomir is no fool. The world can laugh and call her an innocent child who has been sheltered all her life. Sure, she lost her mother and younger sister, but Lissa has not seen the world like others have. Over the past few weeks, however, she has seen and heard many things. She has seen strong men snapped in half like feeble twigs; she has seen how Adrian is slowly descending into madness. She has seen dark magic unfold before her eyes. As soon as Lissa saw Janine return to Istanbul, she knew it was part of Yeva's predictions. Immediately, Lady Dragomir guessed that the man Rose would fall madly in love would be the beast, Dimitri Belikov. That and the fact that she wanted to bring her best friend home are the reasons Lissa left the comfort and shelter of her home in Bucharest and joined the dangerous mission of hunting down Rosemarie Mazur and the beast that had taken her. Because Vasilisa would be damned if she allows her dear friend doom herself to eternity with a werewolf.

So the world can call her a fool and a naïve child who sees nothing but pretty silk dresses or luxurious balls. Today, Lissa saw something new in her best friend. She could see how Rose stole glances in the direction of the beast. There was something in Rosemarie's eyes that Lissa had never seen: a mixture of extreme bliss that only true love can bring and the despair of carrying a heavy burden, a secret. Lady Dragomir was also extremely observant of the beast, the lord of the castle they were now prisoners in. She could see how the beast struggled to stay in place. His eyes never wandered away from Rose for long, and he gazed at her adoringly and protectively.

The lady scoffs and flips her damp hair aside. Who said Lissa was naïve? Who said she was superficial, unable to read people? They are the fools. They are naïve. Not her. However, she will hold off her suspicions until Rose herself confirms that the beauty and the beast are together and madly in love with each other. It is now that she takes to pacing the opulent room she has been assigned. While the room could do with some serious redecoration, Lissa can tell Belikov is extremely well off. Perhaps far wealthier than Adrian. But knowing Rose, wealth does not matter to her. As the lady inspects a painting of a beautiful maiden with gentle brown eyes, luminous smile, and hair tainted with gold, the door to her chamber opens abruptly, making Lissa's heart accelerate.

"Hello," Rose smiles cautiously and steps slowly into the room. "These were my chambers when we first arrived here." She nods towards the massive painting over the fireplace. "That is Viktoria Belikova, Dimitri's sister."

"Were your chambers?" Lissa arches her eyebrows at her friend, demanding an immediate explanation.

The huntress' cheeks turn a deep crimson, and she avoids meeting Lissa's jade green eyes. While not much time has passed, it certainly feels like a century has passed since the two friends saw each other. And they have both changed. Lissa doesn't have that innocence in her eyes anymore; she has seen more death than she should, and Rose wishes she could have been there to protect her from such pain. On the other hand, Lissa can tell how Rose carries herself with far more confidence than usual like she is the lady of the household, and she has finally embraced it. Before, Rose would glare murderously at anyone who called her "Lady Mazur" instead of "Huntress". Change is undeniable to both of them. While they have changed, their friendship should remain the same, perhaps stronger than before. So both of them step forward at the same time, meeting halfway and embracing like they did when they saw each other for the first time in weeks.

Immediately, Rose recounts the events that she kept out of her story earlier for the sake of Christian, Abe and Janine. All of Lissa's deductions are confirmed when Rose confesses to have given herself to Dimitri multiple times. And despite the fear that their love will not end well, Lissa can't help smile and be genuinely happy for Rose, who deserves to be happy after all she has been through, especially after Adrian tried to murder her. However, Adrian has been hurt as well. But that is a topic for later on. Later on doesn't come though, because Rose confesses something that is earth-shattering.

"I have to die to set Dimitri free," the huntress explains with a whisper and a deep sigh. "I do not mind doing so, but I hoped to grow old with him." She smiles sadly, then her eyes harden and she turns to face Lissa with urgency, lowering her voice even more for the fear the pack will hear. "You must do something for me…"

"Rose, no." Lissa shakes her head with such force she feels her head will fly right off. The tears blur her vision as Rose's request sinks in. "I will _not _do such a thing! Ask me anything but that…"

"Lissa, please." And when Rose begs like that with tears glistening in her eyes and her mouth curving downwards, Lissa knows she can't deny her friend anything however painful and insane that may be. With a sigh, Lady Dragomir concedes to Rose's request.

* * *

**And another cliffy! Can you hang in there for a while? My new job is absolutely kicking my ass, and I will not have time to write any time soon :( For now let's reflect, what is Rose's request? Will Dimitri rip Adrian a new a-hole? Penny for your thoughts?**


	37. Furia

The clinking of his boots hitting the marble floor with fury and determination echo in the foyer as Dimitri Belikov descends the main stairs. His duster flutters around him with the speed of his movements while his hands are tightly fisted at his sides, his nails digging into his flesh. The Alpha's body quivers with the fury burning within him, and it takes all of his restraint not to shift and simply shred Ivashkov apart, but where is the fun in that? With a mischievous smirk, he pushes the hidden door under the stairs open, revealing a narrow corridor spiraling downward and lined up with bright torches and thick iron doors. Behind those doors are small and dark dungeons where traitors, murderers, thieves, rapists, and all other criminals are left to rot. However, the punishment of leaving Ivashkov forgotten down there is too small of a punishment, or so Dimitri believes.

_Ivashkov deserves to be tortured until he begs for death,_ Dimitri thinks to himself as he moves deeper into the dungeons. The hot fury threatens to burn Dimitri alive as he recalls Ivashkov's filthy fingers wrapped around his Roza's neck. Yes, Ivashkov deserves a fate worse than death for his attempt at murdering Dimitri's lady. In his mind, the Alpha is pulverizing every single bone in Ivashkov's body or strapping him to a table and slowly removing his skin. Dimitri's eyes glow in the darkness far more than the torches as he considers all the possible painful punishments he can inflict upon Ivashkov.

And after many more scenarios, all of which consist of Ivashkov begging for mercy with tears streaming down his face, Dimitri ponders what will Rose do. Will she hate Dimitri? Because Rose said so herself; she still cares for the drunkard idiot that attempted to murder her. She will most likely hate Dimitri. He stops halfway down and closes his eyes weighing his options. On one side, he is a man and a beast filled with fury demanding justice for what Ivashkov almost did. He wants the life of the man that almost took his very reason for living. On the other hand, Dimitri doesn't want to anger Rose, no more than she already is. And if she cares for Ivashkov, she will suffer if and when Dimitri kills him. The last thing Belikov wants to do is hurt his lady.

Furious and frustrated, Dimitri moves toward the nearest door and gives it a single mighty punch. A deafening sound echoes in the dim corridor as the door crashes down with an indentation the size of Dimitri's fist right in the middle. Breathing heavily, he looks down at his bleeding knuckles taking longer than normal to heal. When the wound finally disappears leaving a smudge of blood behind, Dimitri makes the decision that like all wounds, Rose's will heal. If she hurts over Ivashkov's death, at some point she will move on. Besides, she won't think of Ivashkov for a while. There are too many things going on at the moment. With his purpose intact once more, Dimitri turns around and continues on his way. Not long after, he reaches Ivashkov's cell and is surprised by what he finds waiting for him.

"What are you two doing here?" The Alpha demands from Mason and Ivan waiting outside Ivashkov's door.

Even in the dim light, Dimitri can tell how ghostly pale Ivan is, even though he tries to hide it with a confident smirk as he leans against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his pants. "We heard Galina tell Sydney you are having an audience with the prisoner. We are here to assist you."

Dimitri narrows his eyes on the blonde werewolf and hisses lowly. At first, the Alpha felt surprised and touched that his two most loyal companions have shown up to provide support. But now, he feels weak. Granted, he is weak considering the amount of strength he gave to Ivan then Janine, though Dimitri does not regret doing so, but he is driven by fury and blood lust.

"I am in no need of assistance. I am not weak." Dimitri says through his teeth, working hard not to sound irritated.

Mason ceases to play with the torch near him and turns to give Dimitri an onceover. The Alpha will never show his weakness, of that Mason is aware. However, the young redheaded werewolf was present when Dimitri stumbled after the energy Janine took. And if Mason knows Dimitri well, which he does, tonight there will be a showdown.

"No offense," Mason begins cautiously and with a grimace, "but you are weak. Lady Mazur took an immense amount of strength from you. Ivan and I agree you could use the back up."

For a while, Dimitri says nothing. A part of him is deeply and genuinely touched to have such loyal friends who will do anything for him despite everything Dimitri has done wrong. At one point, he felt unworthy of such veneration, but Rose has made him realize that even a creature as despicable as he once was deserves to be loved and regarded warmly. Another part of him, the part he hasn't been able to completely shake off, doesn't take kindly to be helped. That part of him is still independent and stubborn, thinking he can do anything on his own. However, Dimitri merely nods his head accepting the help his friends offer. Mason grins and rubs his hands together excitedly while Ivan stands up straighter. Both of them move to flank Dimitri, but before they can proceed, Ivan places his left hand on his Alpha's shoulder.

"Wait," Ivan sighs and licks his lips as the words seem to cling to his throat unable to come out due to the shame. "What I said about Rose, your lady, I apologize. I was out of line, and I swear it will never happen again. Whatever decision you make, I will accept it and welcome Rose as one of ours. If she makes you happy, then that is all that matters."

A genuine smile makes its way to Dimitri's lips as his friend finally accepts Rose as part of their pack, as part of Dimitri. Just like that, any and all hard feelings between Dimitri and Ivan are washed away like the sand on the beach. With a brief nod in Ivan's direction, the Alpha accepts the apology and supportive words of his good friend.

"Aw, we ought to hug," Mason nods fervently pretending to wipe a tear from his cheek. "Yes, this calls for a hug fest. Come on, bring it in." He opens his arms wide but as expected, Ivan merely smacks the back of his head while Dimitri shakes his head working hard to hide his amusement.

"Be serious," Ivan hisses to Mason as Dimitri steps forward, placing his hand on the iron door where behind it Ivashkov waits for his death sentence.

Mason sobers up as the door creaks open and a weak yet cold laughter comes from the darkness of Ivashkov's dungeon. On the way in, both Ivan and Mason grab a torch and step in right behind their Alpha. They remain close to him, their eyes scanning the area for Ivashkov. Dimitri is the first to find him standing in the farthest and darkest corner of the room. Adrian looks up at the new arrivals. Seeing Dimitri flanked so closely by his guard dogs causes Adrian to laugh once more. Dimitri notices how Adrian's laughter in unhinged and humorless. The prisoner has spent just a couple of hours alone down here, and he's already losing his mind. Maybe his mind was lost long ago.

No one says a word until Adrian's laughter dies away, though an echo seems to still remain bouncing off the walls. The disheveled hunter pushes his body away from the wall and moves slowly towards the werewolves clearly unafraid of being outnumbered. Dimitri wonders just how mad the man is to first, leisurely walk into Dimitri's castle where his pack lives then attempt to murder not only Rose but Ivan as well. Now, Adrian walks as if he's the predator not the prey. The hunter has lost his mind completely.

"I did not take you for a coward," the hunter says stopping mere inches away from Dimitri. A taunting smirk plays on Adrian's lips as he watches Dimitri's jaw twitch with the insult. "You came here with your guard dogs. I thought we could settle this man to man, but I see you are afraid, Lord Belikov."

The last words are spat out with venom and a curling of Adrian's lips as if the words were poison. Adrian moves away from Dimitri letting the Alpha seethe at the insult.

"Leave us," Dimitri commands Mason and Ivan after brief seconds of deliberation. Even though Dimitri knows Adrian is manipulating him, the Alpha has to admit that this confrontation should be only between him and Ivashkov. No need to get anyone else involved besides, what can an unarmed and weak hunter do to the legendary Dimitri Belikov, Alpha and Lord of Baia? "See if our guests require anything."

Mason and Ivan hesitate, looking at each other before opening their mouths to protest, but Dimitri cuts them off with a sharp glance before the words come out. Slowly, Mason and Ivan file out of the dungeon, leaving behind one torch though they know Dimitri doesn't need the light to see as clear as day. The iron door clicks shut and the werewolves' light footsteps and heart beats move up the corridors and out of the dungeons, leaving the werewolf and hunter to settle the score once and for all. Adrian returns to his dark corner, and Dimitri can see the hunter cross his arms and watch the Alpha with a shrewd smile on his lips.

"I do not know," Dimitri begins to pace the room with his hands behind his back but never taking his eyes off Ivashkov, "whether to admire your bravery or stupidity to summon me here. You must realize that tonight is your last night alive." Dimitri grins excitedly, his hands tingling with fury and the desire to spill Ivashkov's blood all over the gravel floor.

Adrian shrugs unconcerned and his cunning smile widens as if he knows something the world doesn't. "Is that so?" Once more, the hunter pushes himself off the wall and begins to pace along with Dimitri. Without being aware of it, they begin to circle each other like a pair of wolves ready to pounce on each other to defend the territory. "Is tonight Rose's last night as well? Has she made a decision on how she will take her life for you?" The hunter arches his eyebrows and the grin on his lips threatens to split his face in half at how wide it is now.

Dimitri, on the other hand, tenses at the hunter's words. How did Ivashkov find out about the curse? There is no way Rose would tell Adrian about it. He couldn't have heard the wolves talking about it; they are forbidden to do so. And does Ivashkov know something that Dimitri doesn't? Does he know Rose is planning to kill herself? Dimitri shakes his head. This is what Ivashkov wants; to get into his head and distract him to weaken him during the fight that is sure to break. Well, Dimitri will not let Adrian screw with his head.

"Why did you summon me? Do you wish to end your pathetic life so soon?" The Alpha arches his left eyebrow while Adrian's smile disappears.

"I have an offer for you," the hunter says turning serious though still pacing, still seizing Dimitri up.

Dimitri throws his head back and laughs throatily. "What could you possibly offer me? You have nothing I am interested in, Ivashkov."

The shrewd and obnoxious smile returns to Ivashkov's lips as he shakes his head. "Are you certain of that? I think I have an offer you cannot resist, Belikov."

Slipping on his nonchalant smile, Dimitri pretends that he is not curious, but he is. What could Ivashkov possibly have to offer? Wealth? Dimitri has wealth, and even if he didn't, he's not interested in it. The reason he was forced to murder his father was also to make sure all the gold didn't end up in Ekaterina's hands. And Dimitri already has Rose, whom never belonged to Adrian in the first place. Still, Dimitri decides to humor the hunter.

"You seem to be delaying your execution," Dimitri sighs feigning disinterest and resignation. "But I am in no hurry. What is your offer, Ivashkov?"

Adrian goes silent for a while with only the sound of their shoes crushing the gravel as they continue to pace. The hunter has the satisfaction of seeing Dimitri's fist clench and unclench as he struggles to stay calm. Adrian thought long and hard before summoning the beast down to his dungeon. He knows this could be his last night alive because the beast will not be forgiving, but Adrian has a trick up his sleeve. The hunter is not about to go down easily. Even without weapons he can delay his death because this offer he is about to give the beast he cannot refuse or at least, think about it for a while. When Adrian thinks he has tortured Belikov long enough, he goes on to tell the beast his offer.

"Rose will die," Adrian says darkly and with an unsettling certainty that chills Dimitri to the bone. "I have known her for years. She gives everything to those she loves. In this case, she will give her life for you." The bitterness doesn't escape Dimitri's notice, but he ignores it. Yes, the Alpha is aware that stealing an engaged woman from her fiancé was a low blow, but Adrian doesn't deserve Rose. And she and Dimitri are meant to be. "I think we can both agree on protecting her from herself. She cannot die. I think you ought to let her go with her family. Send her home. Send her away from you; she will soon forget you just like she forgot me, but she will live. If you love her, let her live."

Belikov, to Adrian's surprise, laughs at the offer. "You are a fool, Ivashkov. Do you think Rose will easily consent to this? And most importantly, since when do you want to save her? You had your hands wrapped around her neck ready to choke the life out of her!" The hot fury returns to Dimitri. He's no longer distracted from his mission here. He came to murder and murder he will.

Ivashkov shrugs; completely unaware of the fact that Dimitri is practically spitting fire, and appears nonchalant about the accusation. "She betrayed me. How would you react if you found your fiancée was fucking the enemy?"

"I certainly would not kill her," Dimitri snarls.

It is Adrian's turn to laugh at Dimitri's words. "If you murdered your own father, you could murder a girl like Rose."

All color leaves Dimitri as Adrian confesses to knowing what happened centuries ago in this very castle. Of course, like all others that do not know Dimitri's story, they assume the worst. They blame him without knowing him. Sure, what he did was awful, and Dimitri knows he will burn in hell for such crime, but he did it for his sisters and mother, among other reasons, but mostly to keep his family safe. Then, the blasphemous accusation that he could murder Roza, who has done nothing wrong but love him, finally makes Dimitri's control snap. Letting the hot fury consume him, Dimitri roars and makes the first move on the hunter.

Adrian's eyes bug out of its sockets, and he doesn't have the chance to move before the Alpha's fist connects with his jaw. The hunter's head snaps to the side painfully fast, he swears he has broken his neck. However, the hunter just stumbles and falls face down, the gravel digging into his palms and face drawing blood. Even on his lips, Adrian tastes the blood. He chuckles as Dimitri stands over him breathing heavily like a bull seeing red. This is what Adrian wanted: a chance to take a swing at the man who stole Rose. Even if Dimitri does manage to kill Adrian, which is a possibility Adrian has come to terms with, he will at least manage to land some blows in him. Before Adrian can get up though, Dimitri grasps the torn collar of the hunter's chemise and pulls him roughly to his feet before punching him in the nose, effectively breaking it.

The precious blood of the Ivashkovs spurts out from Adrian's nose like a fountain of fresh water, causing the hunter to cough and feel like he's chocking. When that thought strikes Dimitri, his fingers encircle Adrian's neck and the Alpha adds pressure slowly. He will make Adrian feel what Rose felt when she was deprived of air, of life.

"You deserve so much pain," Dimitri says through his teeth, his fingers crushing Adrian's throat painfully slow. "You deserve to suffer for what you almost did to Roza. How dare you? How dare you attempt to take her life?"

Despite the situation, Adrian manages to smile sardonically at Dimitri. "Right. Her… life… is… for… you… to… take…" The hunter chokes out; Dimitri continues to add pressure.

"Her life is too precious. I will not let you, her, or a curse take it away." Then Dimitri lets go of Adrian, dropping him roughly to the ground where the hunter coughs and spits violently. "Fight me. Come on, fight me. Your hatred is not toward Rose; it is toward me. I am the one who stole her from you." He chuckles darkly before continuing. "Of course, she was never yours to begin with. I cannot steal what was never yours. She is mine. Always has been."

The taunt gives Adrian the energy to get to his feet and swing his fist, unsuccessfully, at the beast. Dimitri easily dodges the clumsy blows the hunter throws his way while on the other hand, the werewolf manages to land several painful blows on Adrian's ribs and stomach. Somehow though, Adrian manages to split Dimitri's lower lip. The Alpha only chuckles and gives the hunter a hard blow on the stomach, causing Adrian to double over and cough more blood. As Adrian lays there clutching his stomach and gasping for air through his bloodied mouth and broken nose, Dimitri circles him with a triumphant though disappointed smile. Yes, Ivashkov is paying for his crimes, or is at least beginning to, but the hunter hasn't been much of a challenge. He hasn't put up a good fight.

"I expected more of you," Dimitri wipes his face with his sleeve removing the blood that landed on him from when he broke Ivashkov's nose. "I have seen you fight. You are very skilled with your sword. Oh yes, you have no sword. Perhaps this will teach you to never attack my lady again. Perhaps you will learn to pick on someone your size."

The Alpha roughly grabs Adrian's right wrist and twists it behind his back, slowly bending it in an unnatural way causing Adrian to gasp and groan at the pain. "I will make sure you never wield a sword again." A terrifying small crack sound echoes in the too silent dim room followed by Adrian's ear splitting scream of pain as his wrist is fractured. "I will break every single bone you used to choke the life out of my Roza." _Crack. _Adrian's right thumb is broken with a single movement of Dimitri's large fingers. "Do you feel that Ivashkov?"

Adrian whimpers and groans as the pain makes it hard for him to see. He can feel the pain slowly taking him under. But then another _crack _and the searing pain on his newly broken right index brings him back to the present. With every finger Dimitri breaks, Adrian is unable to let the darkness take him. The pain is too great to ignore. When Dimitri is about to start on Adrian's left wrist, the door bursts open, and Adrian can sigh in relief as the beast is pulled away from him by someone Adrian never thought would come to help him.

_Rose_

Lissa chews on her bottom lip as she stares at me. Her jade green eyes reflect just how much she's still mulling over what I have requested of her. Several times she opens her mouth to say something, but I simply shake my head to stop her from saying anything. There's nothing in this world that will make me change my mind. I will go through with this plan, and I think Lissa knows so; she ought to as she has been my friend for ages, that's why she doesn't really make an effort to change my mind. But I know Lissa too, and she might still try.

"You do not have to..." She pauses with a grimace of pain twisting her delicate features. "You do not have to do this, Rose. There is another way. There has to be."

With an exasperated sigh, I get up and take a few steps away from her. Closing my eyes briefly, I clear my mind of all thoughts, of everything that is about to happen. Nothing will change my mind, and there is no point in thinking over my decision. Sure, the decision is painful, but it must be done.

"There is not." I tell Lissa sharply; she flinches a little, but she has to understand. "And I will go through with this whether you help or not. I would very much appreciate it if I had your support."

"I already consented, did I not?" The angry and sorrowful tears finally spill from her eyes, tugging painfully at my heart. But I must stay strong, so I swallow the hard knot in my throat and cross my arms to keep myself whole. I cannot break now, especially not in front of Lissa. "I just think… You have just been reunited with your mom. Everything is going swell why would you…"

"Exactly. Everything is going just swell, despite the problem with the rogues, Adrian, and the curse. It has to stay this way. I am not just making this decision for Dimitri but also for my mother. They will all understand soon. You will have to make them understand." I add the last part gently sitting back down next to Lissa on the bed. With pleading eyes, I grasp her hand and squeeze; she returns the gesture with tears still streaming down her cheeks. "I need you, Liss."

"Will they understand, Rose?" She narrows her eyes on me and sniffs, though I can see the defeat in her eyes. She will support me. "I am not sure _I _even understand what the hell you are doing. But I have already given you my word. I will…"

Her words are cut off by the door suddenly bursting open. Both Lissa and I jump to our feet, my right hand flying to my hip where my sword should be strapped to. My hand relaxes once I realize where I am and that the new arrival is just Sydney. Still, Lissa stands behind me, her hand grasping my wrist tightly as if she is afraid. To reassure my best friend that Sydney is not a threat, I give Lissa a small smile before turning to Sydney. Now that I take a good look at her though, I can tell there's something very wrong. Her cheeks are flushed, her usually wild golden mane is even more tangled, and her eyes are wide with obvious fear. What could Sydney possibly be afraid of? One, the rogues are here. She has every reason to fear them, for they seem to be recruiting, more like controlling, our people. But I doubt it's the rogues. Dimitri and his wolves would be… Dimitri.

"Is Dimitri all right?" My heart leaps to my throat as I consider the endless possibilities that harm has fallen upon my beloved. Sydney seems dazed and as if she has forgotten how to speak as she stands there watching me with her wide eyes and hard breathing. When she doesn't say anything and the intrigue and my own fear gnaws mercilessly at me, I step forward grasping her shoulders and shaking her a little. "Sydney! Is Dimitri all right?"

Her next words bring both relief and fury. "Not Dimitri. Lord Ivashkov… He is… Please. Stop him." Sydney's eyes glisten with tears and her lips quiver.

For a moment, I am taken by surprise by her reaction. If Dimitri is not hurt and Adrian is, why is Sydney reacting this way? Why does she care about Adrian? I don't ponder it for long because suddenly the fury burns and twists my stomach. Dimitri has lied once again. He said he had matters to attend to, unimportant matters, which turns out to be dealing with Adrian. Hurting Adrian. Without another word, I stalk out of the room with Lissa and Sydney trailing behind me. I fly through the corridors and down the stairs. I don't even need to be told where Dimitri and Adrian are: in the dungeons, where else? I shove the door Mason opened earlier when I went down to speak to Adrian.

At the entrance to the underground prison, I hesitate a little. I can't exactly recall which dungeon Adrian is in. But it shouldn't be so hard to find it, right? What if I arrive too late though and Adrian is dead? Dimitri wouldn't do that. Despite Adrian's murder attempt, I can't think of him gone. There is some goodness in him, I know so. Of course, it is my fault I have destroyed the last remaining happiness he probably had in him which is why I planned on asking Dimitri to set Adrian free, to send him home. But everything is wrong.

"This way," Sydney interrupts my thoughts and moves past me showing me the way to Adrian's dungeon. Faintly, I hear Lissa's footsteps behind ours, but mainly I focus on not losing Sydney, for she is moving at a speed I can't keep up with. "Lord Belikov moved the prisoner to a different dungeon after your last visit." She explains still sniffing and with an overwhelming urgency in her voice. Again, I ponder who Sydney cares for? Dimitri or Adrian?

"How did you know Dimitri was down here?" I ask instead.

"Galina told me by accident." She explains a little out of breath as I recall how Galina interrupted Dimitri and me earlier to deliver a message in Russian. Now, I understand why Dimitri left so abruptly leaving me with a vague and unconvincing excuse that everything was ok. I should have known things between us wouldn't be easy.

Soon enough, we hear shrieks and pleas of mercy. My heart hammers painfully against my sternum as I recognize Adrian's screams. Following the sounds, I push forward faster than Sydney and shove the heavy iron door open with a force I never knew I had. The lights of the hallway torches illuminate the dark dungeon allowing me to take in the sight. Dimitri is holding Adrian's left wrist in an unnatural and threatening way as if he is about to…

I launch forward and tug at Dimitri's right forearm. Shocked though responding to my touch and silent command, Dimitri lets go of Adrian and stands away from him. Sydney rushes forward and gently turns Adrian on his back as he whimpers and groans. I hold back a gasp when I see Adrian's bloodied face, his nose bent in a weird way, and the bruises slowly turning black. Furious at Dimitri for inflicting such injuries and keeping this meeting a secret, I turn my glare on my beloved. He surprises me by looking disappointedly at me before turning around and walking out of the dungeon as if he is a child deprived of his favorite pastime. Lissa finally catches up to us and gasps when she sees Adrian.

"Take care of him," I command both of them before rushing out after Dimitri. By the time I catch up to him, he's already climbing the main stairs in the foyer heading in the direction of our chambers. "Hey! Hey, do not walk away from me!" I say through my teeth, practically jogging to match his long, furious strides. "We need to talk! Dimitri!"

Of course, he ignores me, and I don't catch up to him until we are inside our room. When I step inside, I slam the door behind me and cross my arms over my chest while Dimitri continues to ignore my presence and begins to remove his clothes. Silently, I chastise myself for the way my mouth salivates at the sight of his sculpted back, the muscles rippling under his skin as he works on removing his pants, and the way he lets his hair loose. God, I want him. I can't remember the last time we were together, can't remember when we were one. I need him. But I have to wait. We should be focusing on the real beasts, Isaiah and his rogues, not on beating or attempting to kill each other. The fact that Dimitri seems so adamant in facing the issues just infuriates me more.

"We need to talk," I repeat, practically growling like he does sometimes. Again, he doesn't acknowledge my presence and instead heads for the bathroom. "Goddamn it, Dimitri. You are pissing me off even more by pretending I am just a fly!"

He lowers himself onto the tub where water awaits him. Closing his eyes, he leans his head on the edge of the tub and absentmindedly washes Adrian's dry blood off his face. "You are not a fly, Roza. I know what you will say, and I am avoiding an argument."

"Well, I do not want to avoid the argument. I want to talk. What the hell were you thinking? How could you do that to Adrian?" I try not to raise my voice because my mom once told me that arguments with shrieking always end worse. It's best to speak as calmly as possible. But damn it, he's making it extremely hard to stay calm.

"How could I?" His eyes snap open and look at me with his own burning fury, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand. "He tried to murder you! You think I was just going to let his offense slide like that? No, Roza. I am still a beast, and beasts are not benevolent. Remember that."

Taking a deep breath, I try another route. Do not antagonize him. "You are right." At those words, Dimitri arches his eyebrows skeptically as if he can't believe I have conceded so easily. He should know better than that. "Beasts are not benevolent, but you are not a beast anymore, remember _that_. Besides, Adrian's offense was not against you. It was against me. He tried to murder _me_; I should be the one to decide his punishment which will not involve beating him to a pulp and almost breaking his left wrist."

Surprisingly, Dimitri smirks and closes his eyes again settling his head back on the edge of the tub. "I did not almost break his wrist. I, in fact, broke it. His right hand and I enjoyed it. You still think I am not a beast?"

"Dimitri," I groan but before I continue, he cuts me off.

"And his offense was just not against you. He almost killed Ivan as well. I will not allow Ivashkov to waltz into my castle attempting to murder my people, my lady. I know you still care for him, Roza, but he is not getting out of this one alive. No matter what you say. I am sorry." You'd think he'd sound delighted that he will get his way; he will get to torture Adrian, but my Russian really sounds torn like he wishes he could please me in every way. But this is something he will not give me no matter how much I plead.

That fact brings back my fury. How hard is it to just let Adrian go? We wronged him to begin with. Then there is that easy way in which Dimitri lies to me. Well, not technically lie but hide crucial information. Before he knows what hit him, I cross the room and lean across the tub grasping his face with both of my hands. I force him to look at me, to see how fucking pissed off I am. When he sees my expression, he frowns deeply.

"Are you apologizing for nearly killing Adrian or the fact that once again you have kept things from me?" He inhales sharply at the ferocity of my words. Since I seem to have rendered him speechless, I continue with the same venom but no longer hold his face. I have his full attention. "Is this what our future will be like? Both of us hiding key information?" I try not to feel guilty at his broken expression and not dwell on what a bitch I am since I am currently hiding my secret plan with Lissa. Talk about hypocrisy.

My Russian takes a deep breath and looks away from me in shame. When his eyes return to mine, they are hard and determined; however, his hands are gentle as they reach out to stroke my hair damping it in the process. For several seconds, he inspects me while I struggle to breathe having him naked so close to me. I just want to forget everything and make love to him again. I want to forget the curse, forget the impending confrontation with Isaiah, and forget that my time is almost up. As I begin to lean forward to press my lips to his and let him know what I want, he finally speaks. His words though, are not what I expect. Never in a million years did I imagine he would say this.

"No more secrets," he whispers, followed by an earth shattering confession, or request. "Let me bite you. Let me make you like me."

My jaw, if possible, would hit the floor at his words. Numb, I look firmly into his eyes trying to decipher if he's joking or… No. I can see it clear as day: he is determined to make me like him. Angrily, I push away from the tub and walk out of the bathroom. Soon, I hear the sound of water splashing all over the place as he brusquely gets out. Before I make it out the door, he is behind me grasping my right elbow. This time, it is easy to forget his nakedness and the lust that begins to loom. The fury consumes me completely. How dare he ask me to let him bite me? He knows how I feel about werewolves. Sure, I don't hate them, but I refuse to be the same species as Isaiah and his monsters. Besides, he is ruining my plan.

"Roza, please, we have to talk." He tugs gently at my elbow, and I jerk it back. Thankfully, he lets go.

"Well, now I am the one who wants to avoid this stupid argument," I turn around sharply and narrow my eyes on him. "I will _not _let you bite me. I will _not _be a werewolf. Understood?"

"Roza…"

Before he says anything else, I jerk the door open and hastily walk out, making sure to slam the door before he has a chance to come after me. Suddenly feeling like the walls are closing in on me, I practically run out of the castle and out to the back gardens. Once outside, I take a deep breath, the smell of weed and dry leaves filling my nostrils. Night has finally fallen and even though the Moon is not even full, the immense Belikov grounds are bathed with silver light, it almost feels like it's not the Moon shinning but the Sun.

With no direction in mind, I begin to walk running my hands through my hair in the process. It is then that I realize I am shaking. Not just with fury anymore but fear as well. I am definitely still pissed at Dimitri for hiding his meeting with Adrian, beating him to a pulp and breaking his wrist, then he wants me to be like him. He knows how I feel about that. Hell, I was just defending him when my father claimed Dimitri would turn me. How naïve am I? I understand why Dimitri wants me to be his she-wolf; this way we'll be together forever with no curse hanging over our heads. But then, we'll both be doomed to this cursed life. If we ever have children, will they be cursed as well? Or will they be normal, and Dimitri and I will have to bury them when they die of old age? I just can't handle any of that, and Dimitri should know so.

I am also afraid because this proposition is so easy and tempting. We can be together. No more curse. We'll have until the end of time to love each other. What if I hurt someone I love, though? What if I can't control my blood lust and I go on a killing spree? What if I turn into Isaiah? No. I will not allow him to bite me.

"Beautiful night for a stroll," a voice pulls me abruptly out of my deep thoughts and I jump a little clutching my racing heart. "You should not be alone or unarmed, milady." Galina steps out of the shadows with a mysterious and rather creepy smirk on her lips. "There are many who wish you dead."

Her lips twist in disgust, and the threatening tone doesn't escape my notice. Crossing my arms over my chest in my signature defiant pose, I arch my eyebrow the way Dimitri taught me. "Are you included in those who wish me dead, Galina?" She doesn't reply but the widening of her smirk is all the confirmation I need. Suddenly, the severity of the situation dawns on me, and I silently curse myself for not carrying my swords. "May I ask why you wish me dead?" I ask to distract her while I take slow steps towards a nearby small pond surrounded by good sized rocks.

"Oh, I am sure you know, milady." She speaks as if we are discussing the weather, though the glint in her eyes tells me this conversation is anything but innocent. "You are not worthy of the Alpha's affection. He requires someone like him, someone who can satisfy him like he deserves."

I throw my head back and laugh, still casually walking towards the pond. "And _you _are worthy of him? Who are you? You are just a wench, and I am a noble woman, a Mazur." I snort disdainfully and glower while keeping my eyes on my destination not too far now. "And last time I checked, I satisfied him just right." I bite my lower lip and wink at her mischievously and have the satisfaction of watching her grin falter.

Suddenly, I am on the ground with Galina pinning my arms down above my head. I notice her face is distorted, caught between wolf and human. She growls in my face, her saliva falling over my cheeks and lips. Despite the situation, I remain calm knowing I will get out of this like I always do. I am smart; I am a huntress, for crying out loud! But suddenly, I hear unified howling. Not Dimitri's or the pack's. This howling is more animalistic, more familiar. I heard it when I faced the rogues the other night; the rogues are here. But I pray mighty hard I am wrong. However, when Galina looks up, all hope banishes. Her mouth is changing into a snout, but she manages to smile wickedly; but that's not what unsettles me, though. It's the red in her eyes. She's not one of us anymore. She is one of them; she belongs to Isaiah.

"If I cannot have him," her voice is rough and dripping fury with every word, "nobody can."

* * *

**AN: I decided to add the note at the bottom because frankly, I bet y'all don't give a shit about my rambling lol. As always, thanks to my beta, Romi, for being her kick ass self even though LIFE IS SHIT, GUYS. Life is shit for both of us. Thanks for being such patient and loving readers! And we will try to update soon! Hope you enjoyed the 18 pages of happiness :D **


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